The Mythology Set
by Reizbar-Ookami
Summary: That's right! It's a collection of puppyshipping drabbles based on or written around myths! If you have suggestions, you can make them, but I reserve the right to NOT use them as well. I'll make sure to recognize you in the author notes if I do use them.
1. Little Nymph

Author's Note: So, since I noticed you guys really like my mythological drabbles, I decided that I'd just make a separate drabble series for strictly myth-based drabbles. Just a few warnings, though:

1) Drabbles may or may not be (much) longer than drabbles on the regular _The Drabbles Collection_.

2) Any drabbles relating to the nymph Jeno being involved with Seto, God of the Dead, will still appear in _The Drabbles Collection._ Any other nymph fics will be posted here.

3) Any continuations will be indicated with the same title and a Roman numeral (for example, any continuation of this chapter would be titled _Little Nymph II, III, etc._).

4) While I have kept myself from writing any actual sex in _The Drabbles Collection,_ I have no such problem here. Just because sex is not in _this_ particular story doesn't mean there won't be sex in later chapters. So you can still get your smut fix here.

Well! Now that that's over with, I'd just like to point out that there is no sex in this one because snakes actually have two penises and since Seto's lower half is a snake, I had no idea where to go with that. It was awkward. …I don't advise you to use your imaginations for that. I will not be held responsible if your eyes start to bleed at the mental image or your brain explodes.

Little Nymph

'_How do I get myself into these messes?'_ Joey wondered anxiously, stumbling on some roots. Once he regained his footing, he continued his mad sprint for safety somewhere.

How was he supposed to know that a satyr had just finally convinced a wood nymph to have sex just before he'd accidentally stumbled upon them? It wasn't _his_ fault that nymphs and dryads were flighty and that she had instantly turned into a tree at the sight of him! It was really _their_ faults for having sex in the woods! And he shouldn't have to pay for spoiling the satyr's fun with his _own ass!_

"_Ah!_" Tripping over a rock, he yelped as his palms were scraped open. He tried to get up and run again, but his knee throbbed painfully, and upon closer inspection, he saw that it had been scraped open as well.

All of this because he'd wanted to pick some stupid berries!

Joey gasped as a large hand grabbed his ankle and yanked him across the ground, letting out a frightened cry as the satyr began yanking at his robes. "No! I didn't mean to disturb ya! Please let me go! _No!_" He cried out again as the hairy half-beast ripped his robes opened and grabbed his knees. "Gods, no! Please! I'm sorry! I'm _sorry!_"

He yelped as his thighs were finally pried apart, then let out a helpless sob. "Gods, no! Please-!"

Apparently, the gods were with him, because suddenly the rough, careless hands were gone. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, afraid to believe he'd been saved, then slowly blinked them open. He sat up and looked around, then paled when he saw the satyr's limp body lying on the ground, blood oozing out of a festering wound on his shoulder that he knew hadn't been there before.

He hadn't been saved. Now he was in the grasp of something even _more_ dangerous!

"I don't know what you did to piss him off, but I can certainly see why he wanted you."

Joey bleated in surprise and turned sharply, brows furrowing together as his eyes landed on an unfamiliar creature. "Wha-?"

It—he?—had a pale human torso, with a face so handsome that it was actually indicative of a monster. Its brown hair fell neatly despite its obviously fast movements, and his sharp blue eyes seemed to glow in the shade of the trees. From its hips down, however, was serpentine; it looked like a snake tail, with beautiful, pearly white scales. It appeared, for all intents and purposes, a land bound siren.

"I said you're really pretty," the brunet stated, crossing his arms. "Are you deaf?"

Joey flinched, instinctively shrinking at the annoyed tone the creature spoke with; that was the tone his father usually used just before he hit him. "I… I'm sorry…"

"…I… suppose you may have been suffering from a little shock," the creature replied, frowning. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Wha—" Joey cut himself off. He knew that being rude to magical beings could get him killed. Too bad he always had to talk without thinking, because now the brunet was eyeing him curiously. "…I-I don't wanna be rude, but… I've never seen anything like you. What… what _are_ you?"

The brunet tilted his head slightly, still eyeing him in a curious manner. "…I'm a naga. I've just recently made a home here. I'm originally from India, but things are pretty stagnant there, so I came here for a change of scenery."

"Oh. Um… You're a man, right?" The human blushed at the offended expression he received.

"Do I look like I have _breasts?_" he spat, glaring at him, then sighed when the blond cringed. "I've never met a nymph like you. Why didn't you just turn into a tree, or jump into a river?"

Joey tilted his head in confusion, then blushed a little darker, surprised, but also somehow pleased that the naga thought him attractive enough to be a nymph. "You—You think _I'm_ a nymph?"

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "You're not? …Hmm." The naga eyed him for a few silent moments before his lips twisted into a smirk. "Well, little human, how do you intend on repaying me for saving your life?"

"My life-? I woulda been _fine!_ It was just my virginity I was worried about—" the blond began, scowling, only to gasp as the white scales suddenly flashed, and the long, white tail was wrapped around him, trapping his arms at his sides. "Ah!"

"Then you should thank me for saving your virginity; after all, that satyr tasted quiet nasty. I shouldn't have had to taste him at all." The brunet traced his cheek lightly with his fingers, drawing the sharp nails across his skin to show just how dangerous he was. "I could kill you right now and be well within my rights."

Joey shivered as the naga's claws trailed down his neck, biting his bottom lip as goose bumps broke out across his body. "Nn…!"

"So will you show proper gratitude, or are you offering to be my next meal? I was just about to go hunting when I came across you," the brunet hissed, eyeteeth extending into long, sharp snake fangs.

"Please-!" The human squirmed against the hard, unyielding coils restraining him, then fell limp, panting. "I'm sorry! Yes! I'll give ya whatever ya want-!" He whimpered as the naga's coils tightened. "…Please… stop…!"

Abruptly, the grip loosened, and he sagged against the naga's serpentine half. "Ah…"

"You'll give me whatever I want?" The brunet's eyes narrowed as he smirked smugly. "Anything I name, you'll give it to me?"

Joey trembled a little when he saw the hungry expression stealing onto his face. "…Y-yes?"

The snake-like tongue fluttered out of his mouth for a moment before he leaned closer. "…I want what he wasss trying to sssteal from you."

The blond screeched like a little girl and squirmed. "Oh, gods, _no!_ Ya just kept it from happenin' and now _you're_ gonna do it?"

The naga chuckled and sat up straight, slithering out from around him. "I just wanted to see your face. I actually want you to show me around, show me where human towns are so I can avoid them. Your debt will be paid to me then. Just… try not to piss off anymore satyrs, alright? I may not always be there to save you."

"…Y-you _bastard!_" Joey roared, glaring at him. "Scarin' the crap outta me!"

The brunet raised an eyebrow at him, still smiling a little. "Is it my fault you're so cute? I just want to see all of the expressions you can make."

The human blushed. "…S-shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You really should ugly yourself up a bit." Seto played with some of the human's straw-colored hair lightly. "At least we know why everyone keeps trying to seduce you now, though."

Joey huffed and settled back against the naga's chest more comfortably. "Stupid _Ma_ and her stupid _nymph_ blood!"

"See? I know a nymph when I see one." The brunet chuckled and nuzzled his neck lightly. "I couldn't believe I'd been mistaken when you first told me you weren't."

"Yeah, yeah, you're always right. I get it," the human—well, half-human and half-nymph, now that he'd learned about it from his father—grumbled. "Ya get a real kick outta bein' right all the time, don't ya?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Seto replied, curling the end of his tail around the blond's leg. "And I was right about you becoming more attractive once you were halfway through puberty, and I'm probably even right about how you'll go into a sex frenzy soon, as your body finishes changing. I'll protect you from anyone wanting to take advantage of you, of course," he added, patting the blond on the head.

Joey huffed again, pouting a little as crossed his arms. "Sex frenzy, _psh._ Well, you've been right about everything else, so why not this?"

The naga frowned at the bitter tone and leaned around to look at him in confusion. "…Is something wrong? Did I… offend you?"

"…No." The blond hunched his shoulders, frowning. "…Why haven't _you_ ever tried t' get me in bed with ya?"

Seto tilted his head, slowly replying, "Because I don't have a bed…?"

"I mean—why don't _you_ ever try t' seduce me?"

"I don't particularly find nymphs attractive," the brunet answered.

Then, every alarm in his brain and body began screaming, _'Wrong, wrong, wrongwrongwrong!'_ And he knew his instincts were correct when the half-nymph stiffened, then slowly relaxed, bowing his head.

Joey hugged himself and sighed shakily. "Oh. …I see." He bit his bottom lip to force back a whimper and got to his feet. "I… I think I'd better go home now."

Seto hurried to slither up beside him. "That came out wrong. I mean, yes, nymphs are _obviously_ attractive—they're _nymphs—_and since you're part nymph, you're quite easy on the eyes. It's just that I, personally, don't find myself wanting to have relations with them like most humans and other creatures." When he heard a soft keen from the blond, he sighed. "That came out wrong, too. What I _mean_ is—"

"Just… just stop while you're ahead," Joey whispered, curling in on himself even more. "You're makin' it worse."

The brunet came to a stop and frowned, brows furrowing together in concern as he watched the younger boy walk away. He realized that he'd basically said he didn't find the half-nymph attractive, but since when had Joey cared? He'd never given what people felt about him a second thought, so why was he so worried about what _he_ thought?

Unless… Joey thought _he_ was attractive and didn't mind the idea of sex with him, despite his snakelike tail and serpentine tongue.

Seto covered his face and groaned. He'd just told his friend that he didn't think of him in a sexual way, not realizing until it was too late that that was the exact opposite of what he wanted to hear. He hadn't even been _gentle_ about it!

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…He hasn't come back," Seto murmured, frowning, as he slithered in circles around his cave.

It had been two weeks, and Joey hadn't been back. He was getting worried. Joey's body was going to finish changing soon, and his hormones would be going off the wall; he'd want to have sex with anyone that would have him, and if he knew Joey—which he _did,_ after all of the days they'd spent together over the past few months—he would regret it, feeling used and unworthy of anyone he might love, because he had the human ideals of sex being something special.

Hmm. Joey had shown him where he lived, luckily near the edge of town. If he was careful, he could peek in on him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Eh… P-please…" Joey turned his head weakly as he panted, lifting a hand to his mouth and squirming a little. "…I can't…"

A thumb brushed over his nipple, making him whimper and flinch. He wanted so badly to push the other man away, but his touch on his overheated body felt too good to ask him to stop. He just wished he could close his eyes and make everything go away…

He moaned in frustration as the man's body moved away and turned onto his side, panting quietly as he slid a hand down his stomach. He was so hot, he only wanted to get a little relief—

Joey mewed as a hand grabbed his wrist tightly and squirmed, then groaned in relief as he felt something cool against his skin. He cuddled up to it greedily, trying to take in the chill as his feverish body protested. "So hot-! Help!"

He felt a cool hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it as he felt himself being lifted. He couldn't bring himself to worry about that, however, because he was being held against something cool that felt good against his overly warm body. He vaguely felt himself being carried somewhere, but didn't care about that either when he felt himself being immersed in cold water.

Joey felt okay there. The water not only soothed his feverish body, but calmed any struggles he might have had. Moaning quietly in relief and huddling close to the sand, he sighed and allowed himself a small smile. He was sure lucky that someone had seen fit to help him.

His smile faded at the thought before his face twisted into a pained expression. The only one he wanted didn't think he was attractive. Hearing that he had no chance with the person he'd come to admire and respect—and, eventually, become attracted to—had really, really hurt, especially when he realized that he could sleep with anyone else except the one he wanted.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_Ah!_"

Seto turned his head sharply, then slithered over to the blond as he sat up and looked around like a frightened animal. "Are you feeling better?"

Joey looked up at him, breath already speeding up, before lunging at him and yanking him into a rough kiss that was all teeth and tongues.

The naga hissed and had to consciously retract his fangs so he wouldn't poison him. He wanted to push the blond away, to force him to see that their bodies were just _not_ compatible, but the half-nymph was kissing him so desperately that he couldn't stomach the thought of seeing the broken expression on his face when he rejected him.

Instead, he eased the younger boy back onto the blankets that had once been wrapped around his nude body and slid his hand down his body. "Joey, we really shouldn't…"

"I don't _care!_" Joey whispered, wrapping his arms around the brunet's neck. "If I can't have you then I'll just go find someone else!"

Seto hissed again, infuriated at the thought. That he was angry that the blond would go have sex with someone else despite the fact he'd regret it later came as sort of a surprise. However, when the half-nymph whimpered and squirmed beneath him, he was determined to keep him safe—even if it meant having sex with him so the blond wouldn't feel too ashamed of himself once this crazy lust passed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey moaned and shivered as he felt something running through his hair, then opened his eyes slightly and peered upward. "Uhn… Seto…?"

"Hmm. You're awake." Seto smiled awkwardly. "How do you feel?"

"…Sore…" the blond mumbled, letting his eyes fall shut again. He frowned for a few moments, then gasped and sat up quickly.

The naga winced as he let out a howl of pain. "You shouldn't move so fast—"

"Oh, gods! Why does it hurt so bad-! I didn't have any—" Joey paused before his eyes filled with tears. "…I did? Who did I do it with?"

"Just me." The brunet cupped his cheek, frowning. "You never left my cave; no one else had a chance to touch you."

The half-nymph looked up at him in confusion. "…But… but I thought… I thought ya didn't like me that way?"

"I just wanted to keep you safe," Seto replied. "I knew how you'd react once the fog lifted, so I sated you as best I could. Of course, since you're a nymph, you were quite voracious, so even when we weren't having sex, you were writhing and humping me. …I'm surprised you didn't die from exhaustion," he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"You… sated me?" Joey blushed a little, then looked away, frowning as he thought about what he'd heard. Then, he hunched his shoulders and hugged himself tightly.

Seto knew how he'd react after the fog of lust had left him, so he'd had sex with him just to keep him from feeling like too much of a complete whore. He was still unattractive in the naga's eyes; this was just a favor for a friend, trying to keep him from feeling too badly about himself.

They'd had sex more than once—his only chance to be closer to the other boy—and he couldn't remember _any_ of it!

Seto frowned as the blond's body shook with sudden, violent sobs and reached out to touch his shoulder gently. "I thought you wouldn't mind. You're attracted to me, aren't you? I only wanted to keep you from hurting yourself. …Was… was I wrong?"

"It's not _fair!_" the blond ground out, lifting his hands to rub his eyes and wipe away the tears falling even as more formed in his eyes. "The one time ya have sex with me, I'm too—too out of it t' even remember! It's _not_ _fair!_"

"W-what-? You're upset because you can't remember the _sex?_" the naga sputtered in disbelief.

Joey cringed away when he saw the brunet's disgusted expression, then stood shakily, tucking the blanket around his body. Now he understood why he didn't appeal to Seto; nymphs were insatiable _whores,_ so of _course_ Seto wanted nothing to do with them. He was more respectable than that.

"Where are you going?"

"…Takin' a bath. 'nd goin' home," the blond mumbled, holding the blanket closer as he made his way toward the mouth of the cave. "I've imposed on ya too much already. I'm sorry."

Seto tilted his head and eyed the retreating back thoughtfully. "…I'm always willing to help…"

The half-nymph bit his bottom lip before carefully answering, voice tight. "…I know."

He hurried out of the cave and was grateful that the naga didn't follow him. That gave him time to cry in peace, because the brunet always wanted to fix his problems. All he wanted to do was sit and cry for a while, wallowing in his misery.

Seto had never looked at him with outright _disgust_ before. He'd realized the naga didn't necessarily _like_ nymphs (he'd once called them 'fickle little able-bodied sluts'), but he'd hoped that he'd be the exception, because he was only _half_ nymph and he'd been raised as a human.

But he wasn't. Seto had looked at him in disgust; he'd seen the contempt in his eyes when he'd said he was upset he missed out on remembering the sex.

Joey sobbed helplessly and sat down in the small pond not far from the brunet's cave. He couldn't remember their coupling, and their relationship was going to have to end on that sour note: Seto had only had sex with him because he felt _sorry_ for him, and he couldn't remember it anyway, so he didn't even have the memories to hold onto where he could pretend that perhaps maybe there'd been a chance…

It didn't matter. He wouldn't be coming back, anyway. He'd never noticed how much the brunet really disliked him, but now that he realized it, he could see that Seto had only been nice to him because he'd felt he owed him for saving him from that satyr and had kept coming to pester him for something more he could give in return besides just showing him around. He wondered why the naga had put up with it for so long.

Well. That was one problem solved. The best thing he could do for the other creature was to leave him alone. He could consider the debt paid, as the brunet would most likely be thankful that he didn't have to deal with him and his babbling anymore.

Joey couldn't help but cry harder at that; he wished Seto wouldn't have led him on like that, giving him hope for something he had no intention of ever giving to him. …Then again, it was probably his fault for being so oblivious.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto crossed his arms and scowled, the end of his tail lashing a little in frustration. He'd expected Joey to come back and say goodbye, but he hadn't, so he'd just stewed in his cave, worrying and waiting. When he'd finally realized that the half-nymph had probably gone home already, he'd given him a few days so he could have his space, guessing that he was still a little ashamed or embarrassed.

But he hadn't come back. He was certainly high-maintenance. Seto wondered why he put up with him sometimes—

"—Really _is_ a shame, Renny's son running away like that."

"I always _knew_ he was going to get his heart broken one of these days!"

"_Mae!_ Don't say that!"

Seto turned his head slowly, frowning. After a moment, though, he glided closer to the voices, peering through some bushes to find a group of nymphs and dryads gossiping away near the bank of a river. Well, all but one little water nymph, who sat silently and braided lilies into her hair. He turned his gaze on the older nymphs and dryads and focused on their conversations again.

A green tree spirit, her sea-foam skin wrinkled from age, frowned and tilted her head. "It really _is_ sad, though, poor little dear. He didn't even know he _was_ part nymph until his father yelled at him about Renny being a whore."

"She _is_ a whore," a blue nymph stated bluntly.

"Yes, but to yell that at your son, who had no choice in deciding what race he'd be? Despicable, I say."

A softly colored yellow dryad shrugged a little. "I just wish I knew who he'd slept with when he came of age. That's what really hurt, I think. He said his partner felt nothing but disgust for nymphs anyway, which just makes it worse."

The old dryad huffed. "Did he tell his partner how abnormal he is, even for half-breed standards? Giving birth to _male_ children, _ha!_ You know that Renny dabbled in dangerous substances, don't you? Obviously, the boy is a result, and she didn't care how much he suffered when he came of age; male bodies aren't _meant_ to go through that! She probably hoped he _would_ be ashamed of letting men just use his body and kill himself!"

"No!" another dryad gasped, this one pale pink in color. "But he's only ever been nice! Oh, poor little Joey!"

"Hmph! Good riddance, I say. The sooner he gets away from that toxic person, the better," the blue nymph stated, tossing her hair over her shoulder and huffing quietly. "It would only bring him pain to be nearby, anyway! It's better that he start a new life elsewhere!"

Seto felt his blood run cold. Joey hadn't just left his cave; he'd left the area completely! All because he believed that he wasn't wanted, that Seto felt disgusted by him—

"…I wish my big brother had said goodbye first," the little nymph whispered, frowning. "I don't know when I'll see him again."

A little sister. Joey had a _little sister._ A little sister that he'd left behind to get away from _him!_

He had no idea Joey had believed he didn't like him! …Then again, he'd never really given him a reason to.

Making snide and sarcastic comments when the blond had been fishing for a compliment—probably to heal whatever damage his father had done that day to his self-worth and ego. Teasing him during times when they had had basic comfortable silences, even though the blond looked content to just stay silent and enjoy his company. Even threatening him when he was in a bad mood and wanted a power trip, frightening the blond into submission.

He hadn't realized he'd been forcing all of his dislike of nymphs onto the blond in the guise of _friendship,_ torturing him like a regular friend wouldn't.

He was a bad friend. And now, his little nymph was gone.


	2. Candle Wax

Author's Note: …Dragons. They're mythological. **:|** I just thought I'd try something different and make Joey the dragon this time. He's a Chinese sort of dragon, though; keep that in mind.

And _yes,_ the plot moves sort of _fast._ This is a drabble. Drabbles don't have to be super detailed.

Updated (07-07-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Candle Wax

Seto raised an eyebrow as the golden-scaled dragon rubbed its face against his, then lifted it from his shoulder and dropped it back onto the pillow that was its bed. "Stop it, Joey. You know I don't like you touching me."

Joey mewed quietly, whiskers wilting, then curled his body around, hiding his head in his coils.

"Seto! Why do you always have to hurt Joey's feelings?" Mokuba frowned and reached out to gently stroke the dragon's fur on its back. "All he wants is to be close to you. Remember what that monk said! It's been hundreds of years since a golden dragon has found its human counterpart!"

"I. Don't. Care," the brunet replied, not looking up from his laptop. "I didn't _ask_ to be his human counterpart, and I'm not dropping everything to go do some ritual I shouldn't have to just so Joey can be bound to me forever. I'm not _interested_ in being bound to him for the rest of my life."

"_Seto!_" the younger boy shouted, glaring at him, as the dragon curled up tighter. "He didn't ask for you to be his human counterpart, either! Why are you so mean to him!"

The older boy turned to look at him and frowned. "…I need a reason?"

"Ugh! You're such a jerk sometimes! Joey's only ever wanted to be friends!"

Joey watched the two brothers bicker, mewing quietly, but when he went ignored, he crawled off his pillow and over to the window. Taking one last peek at them, he slithered through the crack and onto the dirt outside. Then, he made his way away from the house, determined to find a way to make the brunet see he wasn't completely terrible. He decided on Pocky. Seto liked Pocky, no matter how much he insisted that he hated sweets.

He hadn't been expecting the dog down the back alley, and he _especially_ didn't expect the dog to have friends.

.-.-.-.-.

Seto grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets. He hadn't _wanted_ to come out in the cold dark to look for Joey, but Mokuba had given him The Look. The Look meant that he'd messed up big time and, if he didn't want to wake up with half of his head shaved, he'd do what he was told.

Stupid dragon. Stupid Mokuba.

He turned his head as he heard something rustle, frowning as he saw a piece of newspaper moving along the ground. He watched it move slowly until it hit a trashcan.

It let out a tiny, offended _'mew!'_ Then, it sighed and fell still.

Seto watched it a little longer, then reached over to lift the newspaper up. When he saw the little dragon, however, he felt his heart break a little.

Joey looked up at him with big, teary eyes, his thin little body bruised and his golden scales scuffed up and dull. But his eyes were so hopeful as he nudged something forward with his snout. Seto glanced down at what looked like a stick, frowning in confusion when he saw the pink coloring beneath some of the dirt.

…Pocky. The little dragon had left to go get some strawberry Pocky for him.

Joey's whiskers twitched as he watched the brunet hopefully. Perhaps he'd made him happy. He'd worked so very hard for just this one little piece, so maybe he'd finally make the human smile at him, just once.

"…You stupid _idiot!_" Seto roared, standing up angrily. "Do you know how much you worried Mokuba? For some reason, he cares about you, though I don't know why he'd bother over a complete moron like you!"

The tears in Joey's eyes welled up and finally fell, rolling down his snout to drip down his whiskers. So he'd only made him mad. He couldn't do anything right.

The human sighed in frustration before reaching down to gather up the dragon's broken body, handling him in a surprisingly delicate manner as he lifted the reptile from the ground. He tucked the dragon in the crook of an arm and turned to go, then paused to look back at the stick of candy.

It was broken in half, and it had little teeth marks in it where the dragon had gripped it. The strawberry coating was smudged off in some places. It was covered in dirt, too, making it look more like chocolate Pocky than strawberry.

But Joey had worked very hard to bring it to him.

Hesitating only a moment longer, he bent down to grab the Pocky and turned to head back home. "You really are an idiot. You didn't need to get me anything."

Joey mewed tearfully. He only wanted to try and make him happy.

"…Don't… run off like that anymore. You worried us," Seto stated quietly.

The dragon looked up at him quickly, not quite believing what he'd heard, then let out a happy mewl. His human counterpart didn't completely despise him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So I put this candle here, and… turn this stone over three times… Joey. You're making this entirely difficult," Seto deadpanned, placing him back within the circle of wax he'd made from the candle. "Just because you've grown on me doesn't mean I've got endless patience."

Joey's tail wiggled happily. It had taken a lot of time, but the brunet was finally going through the ceremony to bind them together. He couldn't be happier if he tried.

"And finally… Candle here…" Seto pulled another candle right in front of him, then lifted a knife, frowning. "…Blood and wax…"

The dragon let out a squeal of distress as the human sliced the end of his thumb open and started to move out of the circle again, but then the brunet shot him such a dirty look that he stopped in his tracks.

The brunet sighed quietly and squeezed some of his blood from his thumb to drip into the melted wax around the flame. He watched the blood swirl around the white wax, streaking it and somehow making it look beautiful instead of gruesome. He glanced back at the scroll he was reading from, then frowned.

It said to drizzle the wax onto the dragon's body. Now, he knew that Joey could handle high temperatures (he'd once found the golden reptile frolicking in the fireplace), but he just couldn't feel comfortable drizzling it on what he now saw as his companion.

Turning to look at the dragon, Seto felt oddly reassured when Joey looked up at him and smiled a dragony little smile. So, he grabbed the candle, held it over him, then tilted it to dribble the melted wax over him. "…And now that's finished."

Funny, he'd expected… more. Like a little shock, or something. Something that felt… final. He didn't say anything, though, because Joey was looking up at him with eyes so full of love and happiness that he almost felt embarrassed.

"…Am I supposed to just… leave that wax on you?" When the dragon only continued to smile at him, he sighed. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on, Joey. Let's go to bed."

Joey purred as he was lifted up and carried over to the bed, curling up on his pillow next to the brunet's. He watched the brunet lie down beside him, then cooed happily. He was so very happy for this.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"S-Seto? S… Ssseto?"

Seto grunted and opened his eyes slowly. "What? …Mokuba?" He heard a giggle nothing like his brother's and snapped into an alert state, sitting up immediately.

There was a stranger in his bed, with golden-tan skin and blond hair—and brown eyes similar to Joey's. He jerked his head around to look for the dragon, then let out a snarl and grabbed the stranger by the front of his robes, slamming him onto the bed on his back and hovering over him threateningly.

"What did you do with Joey?"

The blond didn't appear worried, however, and instead giggled and turned his head away. "I think the question is what _you_ did t' Joey!"

Seto glared at him angrily. "Don't play with me! Where is Joey?"

The blond tilted his head and smiled coyly. "I'm right here."

"…I just told you not to play with me!" the brunet snarled, but was surprised when the other boy grabbed one of his hands and drew it to his ears, which he felt came to a point, and he saw that the blond's nails came to a point like humans' didn't. "…Joey?"

"You _did_ go through the ceremony with me, didn't ya?" Joey raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "Now we can really become one."

Seto stared at him for a few moments, frowning in confusion. Eventually, though, his eyes widened. "Are you suggesting I—"

"That's what it means t' be counterparts. A dragon willingly gives his or her body to their human partner, and in return, the humans protect their dragons." Joey tilted his head back to offer his neck submissively. "I can't use my powers in this form unless my life depends on it, so I'll especially need ya t' watch out for me."

"…I don't understand. Are you saying… you're supposed to be my lover now?" the brunet asked quietly.

The blond nodded a little, suddenly looking unsure. "Do ya… do ya not want to use my body, Seto? I'm afraid it's all I have t' give ya…" He blushed. "I don't… know anything else. I can't cook, or clean. I… I really wanna repay ya, but… I only know that my instincts will help me pleasure ya. I only ever wanted to make ya happy."

"But I don't… understand _why_."

Joey glared at him. "Maybe if you'd been listenin' t' the monk instead of pitchin' a fit over how ya didn't want me, you'd have heard him say that a dragon's human counterpart is usually destined for a long, lonely life without a steady partner unless the dragon finds them. I didn't want that t' happen to you."

"Well I'm _sorry_ if I didn't want to add to having to take care of my brother and keeping the company running! Do you have any idea how stressed out I get just trying to deal with those two things?" Seto snapped, glaring back at him.

The blond huffed and turned his head away. "If I'd been human _earlier_ I would've been able t' help ya relieve the stress."

"…By sex."

"Is there any better way?" Joey looked back up at him and frowned, raising his hips a little. "Um… This is gettin' a little painful. If you're not gonna have sex with me, can I go take care of myself really quick?"

Seto blinked at him for a moment, then looked down, raising an eyebrow as he saw the robes the blond was wearing were tented at his crotch. "Hmm. Well, whatever god wanted to torture me with you certainly made you right."

The blond tilted his head in confusion. "Eh?"

"…I'm really attracted to blonds."

Joey gasped and jerked his head back as the brunet cupped his erection through the cloth, hips jerking in surprise. "Nn, fuck, ancestors help me…!"

Seto smirked as the dragon-turned-human mewed and wiggled his hips. "Are you telling me you were going to have sex with me and yet had no idea what it actually felt like?"

"Dragons don't really have hands t' touch themselves with!" the younger boy exclaimed, blushing a little. "Stop teasin' m—Nn-! Ah!" He arched his back and whimpered. "Seto!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto groaned and held the blond's smaller body closer after their lovemaking, then sighed quietly. "…Nothing to say, Joey? I thought you'd be more talkative…" He trailed off as the blond's head rolled limply when he tried to sit him up straight, then chuckled quietly. "Well, it's been a while since I've made anyone black out after sex."

…Joey looked incredibly breathtaking like that, though, tears of pleasure clinging to his lashes and lips parted, body stained with the evidence of their love-making. He looked even more beautiful when Seto laid him down, hands sliding from his shoulders to fall beside his head limply.

Seto chuckled quietly and kissed his forehead, then went to the bathroom for a washcloth to clean him up. They'd talk later, after he woke up; for now, he was content having the dragon on his bed, sleeping off a round of sex.

The blond had been so happy when he'd told him that he looked beautiful, had looked up at him with so much love and devotion… Seto had actually felt a little embarrassed when the former dragon had blushed so innocently and bit his bottom lip so coyly that he wanted him even more. He reached back to touch the scratches on his back and sighed, smiling a little. Joey had been so giving and apologetic when he'd first dug his nails in, he really didn't mind.

"Silly little dragon, always so eager to please and happiest at even the smallest showing of approval." He smiled a little when the blond squirmed, as if to protest, then frowned when he saw something twitch on the side of the bed, tangled in the robes he'd been wearing that the brunet had tossed aside.

It was a tail. Joey still had a tail. He hadn't noticed it before because it hadn't been moving, tangled as it was in the white cloth.

…Well. That was going to take some explaining if he ever revealed Joey to the public.


	3. Down Below

Author's Notes: I'm agnostic. As such, I believe both demons and angels to be myths that can neither be proven or disproven. So don't email me your bullshit saying "WHAT, ANGELS ARE REAL" and "DEMONS TOTALLY EXIST." I don't care what your beliefs are. If you think angels and demons are real, more power to you. I'm not here to preach at you that they're not.

…You can tell someone else has already read me the riot act on how I'm going to hell for not believing in God, can't you? I just bitch slap those people with the statement, "I write homosexual porn. I'm already going to hell." **:|** I'm sorry. I just wanted to make it plain and clear to you guys.

Down Below

"It's good to see you again, Master Kaiba! It's been a while since you've been Below!"

"I'm sure." Seto examined his nails idly. "I'm in the mood for a virgin during my stay down here. Demon, Fallen, or Human, doesn't matter."

"Ah!" The lower level demon clasped his hands together, leathery wings fluttering in excitement. "We just got sent a new bunch of humans. Pathetic little creatures, really, selling their souls for a momentary happiness."

"…Indeed." Seto closed his eyes, taking a moment to think about the small group of humans that he'd found weren't completely hopeless. Then, he cleared his mind of all things human and concentrated on his surroundings. "I prefer humans; they're much more sensitive to touch."

"And I believe you prefer blondes, yes? Well, we only have one in this group, and it's male. He _does_ wear the white ribbon indicating that he's a virgin, but he's got an attitude problem."

The brunet smirked. "Hmm. Sounds like my sort of bedmate. I'd like to see him first, in any case."

The little red imp bowed respectfully. "Please wait here, Master Kaiba."

Seto watched him go, then sighed bitterly. It felt… pathetic, foisting his attention on people that _looked_ like the one he wanted instead of trying to court him directly. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury. Joey Wheeler was always wary of him because of his cruelty (which, he'd admit, he'd toned down when he'd realized that the sex dreams weren't from want of a power trip and instead genuine attraction), but he also had some sort of sixth sense from his days on the streets that made him shy away from being cornered alone with him, lest he be hurt or worse.

He had to admit, he was sort of frightened of what might happen if he found himself alone with the blond and the demon part of his brain took over.

"Here he is, Master Kaiba, but we didn't want him to hurt himself struggling, so he's been given a small sedation."

Seto turned to examine the human and felt his heart drop to his feet. "…And for what reason did _he_ sell his soul to Hell?"

The imp frowned, scratching his cheek idly. "Well, he didn't, really; his father offered his son in place of himself. Lucy's taking care of his father right now, of course, but the fool that went to go collect from him in the first place took the boy instead of cackling and making a show of how the man had no way out of it—He's being reprimanded, but now that the boy's down here, we can't very well just wipe his memories and send him back up. He'll wonder who brutally murdered his father and worry that the person might come back for him."

"…The file for this one, please," Seto ordered curtly, then caught the blond's chin and forced him to look up at his face. "Hmm. I'll see what I can do about this one; his friends will raise chaos when they hear about the murder and kidnapping that happened in the blond's home."

The imp blinked at him in confusion. "…K-kidnapping, Master Kaiba? We were told to officially make it a murder-suicide."

"A murder and kidnapping," the brunet repeated icily. "Make it happen, imp, or I'll have you demoted to Cerberus' play toy."

The little red creature squawked an affirmative and scampered away with his troll lackeys, who had brought the blond out to him.

Gazing into the blond's glazed over brown eyes, Seto sighed quietly. "…Life never _was_ fair to you, was it, puppy?"

Joey blinked at him slowly, the sedatives distorting the words. "…Am I not fair enough for you, m'lord?"

"Ugh, they've got you doped on aphrodisiac, too," the brunet spat in disgust. "I hate when they do that; you're no good to me if everything you feel is delayed and everything you hear is twisted." He grumbled to himself quietly but scooped the human into his arms nonetheless. "Just stay still, Joey. The drugs will wear off soon."

"…Gonna… wear me out…?"

"No, _off—_Never _mind._" Seto sighed again and rolled his eyes, then plied some of his powers to his voice. "**Go to sleep, Joey.**"

The blond immediately fell still in his arms, snoring quietly as he was carried through the bowels of Hell to the guest room that Seto stayed in when he was there. He was usually glad that his parents had decided the human world was the best place to raise children, and that the King of Hell had allowed them to do so (his mother _had_ been the King's dearest little sister). Right now, though, he was righteously pissed; if _he'd_ been working Below, the moron that had accepted Joey's soul in place of his father's would have been demoted on the spot and Joey's mind wiped immediately, so he'd have a chance of returning to normalcy.

Urgh. Sometimes he wanted to take his uncle up on that offer to be manager of all things Hell and Mortal Plane related. For now, he'd have a word with Lucy and hope for the best.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"—Jot that down, Amelia. Also, see to it that I get that moron greenhorn down here. I want to have a word with him."

"Have a word with me instead."

Lucifer let out a high-pitched squawk and dropped his mug of coffee. "Son of a-!" When he saw who it was, however, he scowled and held his hand out. The broken mug fixed itself, then filled with more coffee. "Clean that up, Amelia."

"I asked her to run and grab some tonic for me. Joey's going to need it, after all, considering that a small sedation to trolls is like binge drinking for a human—with a hangover to match," Seto stated coldly.

"Ugh." The demon clicked his tongue in annoyance and snapped his fingers, making the puddle of coffee on the ground disappear. "Making me use my magic for the smallest, most useless things when I have better things to do with them—"

"So you're going to disrespect your secretary by making her run for coffee and clean up your messes? I thought you'd know better by now, Lucy, considering that this is—what—your sixth secretary this century?"

Lucifer grumbled and went to go sit at his desk. "You're lucky I liked your mother or I'd toss you out on your ass."

"Ah. Yes. I get that a lot down here," Seto stated, smirking. "You're just jealous that my time in the humans' business world made me crueler than even the King."

The raven-haired man snorted. "I like to attribute some of that to the cruelty of your step-father."

"Oh, please. Don't give him any credit." The younger demon scowled and slammed the Wheeler file down on the desk. "Explain. Explain why this man's son is recovering from drugs in my bed. I've done a good job of keeping my temper, but I'm pissed and I _demand_ to take it out on some incompetent instead of that innocent human!"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "…That seems reasonable."

"You're damn right it's reasonable! You're lucky I didn't blow out half the Second Ring!" Seto bellowed, glaring at him, as the air seemed to crackle with energy.

The older man snorted again. "Badness gracious, Seto. Keep yourself in line a little longer or Amelia will have both our heads."

Apparently, that had been the wrong thing to say, because the King of Hell heard the infuriated roar all the way in the Lower Pits.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey moaned and gripped the blankets tightly, rolling his tongue slowly to try and get rid of the sticky, bitter taste. He wondered what he'd eaten to leave that aftertaste.

He gasped as he suddenly remembered two hulking figures, and a little red demon that had forced a needle into his arm and injected something that made everything fuzzy and dull. Everything after that was a blur, except for what he remembered as a firm, authoritative 'go to sleep, Joey.' The voice had been… comforting, almost familiar.

Sitting up a little, he took a moment to look around, frowning as he took in the dark, crimson stone walls and floor, and the black sheets pulled up over his naked body. The canopy of the bed was black and red satin, with one side of the curtains pulled down, but that was the side against the wall, so it didn't really impede his view of the room. The only other things in the room was a bedside table with a lamp on top, a large chest of drawers, and an armchair and coffee table in the far corner. The room was mostly bare, but it still appeared… comfy.

Oh, God, he'd heard from his gang buddies about this place—had seen another's demonic tail and wings to prove it was true—and he just knew he'd be stuck down here for the rest of his existence. He'd been doped up by trolls and now he was some demon's little bitch! He could only hope the demon would be gentle when he raped him—

Joey turned his head quickly as he heard the door creak open, trembling a little as he wondered what sort of demon would find him attractive enough to fuck for the next few decades. He paled when he saw a familiar face, however; a face that was speckled with blood. He felt his stomach churn as he took in the view of the older boy.

He was shirtless, leaving the brunet's chest bare and covered with more spatters of blood. He had more smears of blood on his black leather pants—even one that looked suspiciously like a handprint—but the worst was really his arms. His hands were covered in blood, and a little bit of the crimson liquid was dripping from his fingers onto the floor. More blood was smeared up his arms to fade in sprayed marks up his biceps.

He noticed a long, twitching white tail, reminiscent of the brunet's signature card, but the white horns extending from his head were his own.

…Why didn't it surprise him that Seto Kaiba was a demon?

Seto paused on his way to the chest of drawers. "…I didn't expect you to be awake yet. How are you feeling?"

Joey bit his bottom lip and pulled the blankets up a little more. "Okay, I guess."

"No pain anywhere? No headache?"

The blond shook his head timidly. "No."

Seto hummed thoughtfully. "I see. Well, I should send Amelia a gift for her promptness in answering my request. …Perhaps a cattle prod that she can use on Lucy…" he mumbled, expression darkening a little, then finished his walk to the dresser and opened one of the drawers to pull out a towel to begin wiping away some of the blood. "Hmm. I'm going to take a shower. Don't leave the room; not all demons have the same morals I do."

Joey chewed on his bottom lip anxiously, then asked, "Am I your slave, Kaiba?"

The brunet paused, then continued to wipe himself clean. "I will admit, the thought crossed my mind, but you'd never be happy like that. I intend to take you back to the Mortal Plane. We'll get a story in place for your kidnapping. Until then, I have business to attend to down here, so you'll have to stay a few days."

"…Why?" the human asked quietly, frowning. "Ya usually don't hesitate t' make fun of me. Why aren't ya milkin' this opportunity?"

Seto turned toward him and placed a hand on his hips, spending a few minutes just looking at him. Then, he sighed and walked over to sit on the bed—a respectful distance away, the blond noticed. "I may have been cruel to you, but I've never _tortured_ you. Both Heaven and Hell run on a karma-based system. You're not a perfect role-model, but you've reached a balance that few people manage to attain. Yes, you may have stolen those candy bars, but you were neglected and hungry, and to make up for it, you saved a little girl from bullies. It's admirable of the balance you've reached, especially with your background."

Joey blushed a little and looked away quickly, telling himself that he didn't like looking at the pink stains left on the brunet's skin or the red-stained towel; unfortunately, he knew he was embarrassed but pleased by the recognition that despite his shortfalls, he was a basically good person. "…I-it's not that big of a deal…"

"Quite the contrary. There was no reason you needed to be dragged down here in place of your father. Your father has been dealt with—and will continue to be dealt with for the next few centuries. The demon that brought you down here in the first place has… _also_ been dealt with," Seto explained carefully.

"…Is… is that his blood?" The blond timidly pointed at the towel.

The demon huffed quietly. "Well I wasn't going to say it outright, but since you're giving me no choice, _yes._ It's his blood."

The human looked up at him from beneath his lashes. "…Ya did that for me?"

Seto whined quietly in the back of his throat. "Don't look at me like that. It makes me want to hump you until you scream for mercy."

"Nn!" Joey blushed, eyes widening, then turned and hid his face in the pillows.

Feeling that he'd frightened the blond enough, the demon stood up and began toward the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower. Don't leave the room," he reminded softly.

Peeking out once he heard the only other door in the room shut, the blond felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. He'd never have figured the CEO was _gay!_ And gay for _him,_ no less!

…Oh, he was in a whirl of confusion and anxiety now. While the thought of being humped until he 'screamed for mercy' sounded delicious (what? He was a healthy teenage boy!), it was _Seto Kaiba._ The man that had _tormented_ him and—wait. The insults _had_ tapered off over the last few months, and he'd noticed the brunet's eyes settling on him and glowing hungrily.

He'd assumed it was just hatred, and that he hated him so much that he just didn't want to deal with him that much.

…Seto Kaiba wanted sex. And he wanted it with Joey Wheeler.

Joey squealed in embarrassment at the thought and shoved his head under the pillows. Seto was a demon, and demons did things during sex—he'd heard the demon in his gang brag about how he'd fucked a girl and had managed to shove most of his tail down her throat as well. The images that had been drawn for him years ago had left him with nightmares, and they still terrified him.

He had no interest in giving oral sex to a stupid tail!

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned in confusion when he felt something softly touching one of his horns. The frown turned into a mighty roar of pain when the same horn was given a yank. "SON OF A BITCH!"

Joey sprang backward immediately, eyes wide as he scampered to the other side of the bed. A hand on his ankle, however, made him whimper as he was violently dragged back. "Ack!"

"Just what the hell were you—Oh. Never mind, it was just you," the brunet mumbled, releasing him. He sat up and sighed, gently rubbing the skin around his horn. "You can't just go and yank on someone's horn like that, Joey. It's part of my _body._"

The human bowed his head a little, frowning. "…I didn't pull on it that hard. It was more like an experimental tug."

"It's attached to my body and it's _sensitive._ Think of it like being kicked in the balls." Seto glared at him, still grumbling to himself a little, then sighed. "…I'm still considered a child in demon standards. My horns haven't hardened yet."

"…Oh." Joey tilted his head, then reached up to rub the end of the offended horn with the tip of his finger. He giggled when the brunet's eyes drifted shut in a dopey smile. "You're kinda cute like that."

"Mmmmmarghlfshnnnggg…" Seto turned his head to lean his horn against the blond's hand, much like a cat demanding to be pet would. "You've got such nice hands…"

The blond blushed, pleased at the compliment. "Um, thanks."

The demon hissed quietly and reached out to begin kneading the younger boy's sides unconsciously. "Mmmm… If you stop before I tell you to, I'm going to have to punish you…"

Joey grimaced a little but continued to gently fondle his horn, despite feeling uncomfortable with the hands at his waist. Suddenly, this wasn't nearly as cute.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Um… Thanks, Kaiba. For… savin' me," Joey mumbled, scuffing his foot over the ground shyly.

Seto hummed and nodded slightly. "Do you remember the story you're going to tell?"

"Dad had debts owed t' some bad people and they took his organs t' sell t' pay for his debts, planned on sellin' me int' the slave trade." The blond frowned. "…Kaiba? Where 'm I gonna live if my dad is dead?"

"Arrangements have been made," the brunet assured. "Just stick to your story. If you get into trouble, give me call."

"How—" Joey yipped as the demon dropped something into his pocket, then stepped out of the alley and began walking away as if he'd belonged there.

Joey could only watch him go for a while, wondering how someone that looked so calm and collected had also walked into a room covered in blood, eyes wicked as a white tail swayed gleefully. He couldn't rationalize it; it did not compute.

Feeling the heavy object in his pocket again, he pulled it out and was surprised to find it was a cell phone. He bit his bottom lip as he scrolled through the contacts and stopped on 'SK.' He didn't really need to think hard to figure out who that was. Seto had taken charge and, though he'd come onto him in a doubtlessly less-than-charming manner, had been rather kind to him despite his usual taunts and jeers. That had been nice of him. Quite nice.

…He really had to thank him for what he'd done.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba squealed happily. "Brownies!"

Seto smacked his hand as he reached for one. "Those are mine."

"…What! But, you don't even like chocolate!" the younger boy whined, rubbing the back of his hand.

The brunet frowned and looked down at the brownie on the plate in front of him, just waiting to be eaten. "…They're from Joey," he stated after a moment, ducking his head a little. "As a thank you, for saving him down Below."

Mokuba frowned, taking in the dejected slump of his brother's shoulders and the melancholy in his eyes. "…He… turned you down, didn't he?"

"He did not act favorably to the idea of sex between us, no," Seto replied quietly. "It's probably for the best. He's human, after all, and a virgin. He probably wouldn't be able to handle how intense it would be." At least, that's what he told himself, despite his brain arguing that the blond had been through worse and come out fine.

"…Didn't… didn't he do _anything_ to show any interest?" the younger boy asked desperately. He hated seeing his brother like this; Seto just wasn't meant to look so… sad.

"…He pet my horns. But then I grabbed him and started kneading him. I threatened him if he stopped. He didn't feel comfortable with that, but he was too afraid to stop." The brunet's body seemed to slump even more. "So I probably ruined any chance I might have had. I don't think any amounts of gifts or money could make him forgive me."

Mokuba frowned. "Have you ever just… tried saying 'I'm sorry?'"

Seto turned to look at him in confusion, then smiled sadly and reached out to ruffle his hair. "That would never be enough to make it up to him. I've been unnecessarily cruel to him, you know. You can have my brownies, Mokuba," he added, standing, and slid the plate over to him. "You'll probably enjoy them more, anyway."

"But Seto—"

"I still have to write a report to Uncle Matsuhi explaining why I intervened. I have to find some way to articulate that the human I wanted to court as my mate had been wrongfully collected without showing emotional attachment." The brunet's face twisted in annoyance. "You know what? On second thought, I'll just lie. There's no way I can spin that without it seeming emotional.

"OH!" He smirked as the perfect story came to mind. "I can just tell them that Atem would have pitched a fit that would have been a pain in the ass to deal with, what with both the paperwork and the Shadow Magic he'd _doubtlessly_ use to try and rescue his friend. I love using him as my scapegoat; it adds to his bad karma." He threw his head back and began to laugh. "WAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You're doing your creepy demon laugh again. How are you supposed to get a human mate when your laugh even creeps _me_ out?" Mokuba mumbled shoving the brownie into his mouth.

Seto frowned. "I can't help it. I like making Atem suffer too much."

Mokuba sighed.


	4. Little Nymph II

Author's Note: Due to popular demand, of course. YOU ALL SHOULD LOVE ME.

Still did not try sex. I alluded heavily to what it would be like, but I am not brave enough to actually write a two-penis sex scene yet. **:|**

…Unless you guys really want me to.

Updated (10-18-10): Yes. It's been updated. There are differences. The ending just... didn't feel right when I read it over again. -_- But there will eventually be a Little Nymph III.

Little Nymph II

Joey squirmed a little as he woke, grumbling as he got the kinks out of his back from sleeping on the hard ground. Then, he tried to go back to sleep, trying to force out the reality he was trapped in.

The bucket of cold water on him foiled any attempt of keeping his waking life at bay. Shivering a little, he sat up, flinching his legs together and bringing his hands up to his chest as he looked up submissively. "I-I'm sorry. I guess my body isn't used t' this schedule yet—"

The man growled around his cigar. "Git up, ye dirty li'l nymph. Customer wants ye. Go bathe an' git yer ass over to room one-'leven."

Joey hurried to his feet and moved to scamper past him. "Yes, sir." He yipped as the rotund man gave him a slap on the ass, then scurried into the bathroom to pump some cold water into the wooden tub. He wished he weren't a half-nymph, sometimes. At least humans got warm baths and plenty of food; he got scraps and cold baths—maybe an actual meal if he particularly pleased one of the customers.

He hadn't meant to stop in this town as long as he had, but he'd been desperate to earn money so he could continue on, and this place had been the only one willing to hire him. He hadn't realized that he'd be made to be a… a _harlot_. He didn't even get to keep the money he made; most of it went to his panderer, leaving him with less money than he'd had to begin with.

He'd escape soon, though, he told himself as he scrubbed his skin with rough lye soap. He'd meet some customer that saw that he didn't want this life, and that person would take him away and hide him from society for the rest of his life—because he hadn't realized that half-nymphs were regarded poorly until he'd started correcting people that he was only _half_ nymph and then had people immediately turn their backs on him.

He felt so alone. At least in his home town, people showed him a little decency, because they'd watched him grow up with no knowledge of what he was. Now, he didn't even have that, and he realized just how much of a mistake leaving had been.

His heart ached even more when he realized that Seto probably didn't even care. Perhaps he had the occasional passing thought. _'Gee, I wonder what that stupid nymph is doing right now.'_ Then he'd go about his day, lazing about in the sun or hunting for his next meal. Who cared what the nymph was doing, after all; he'd never really cared for nymphs.

Joey sniffed and rinsed himself clean, then pumped a little more water so he could clean his face, forcing anymore tears back before they had the chance to fall. Customers didn't like having their strumpets coming in and looking like they'd love to be anywhere else but on their laps. He grabbed a rough, scratchy towel to dry himself with, gritting his teeth at the painful throb his pride gave in protest.

The first time he'd tried to leave, he'd been slapped, and he'd learned then that he wouldn't be allowed to leave of his own volition. When he'd tried to run away after that, he'd been dragged back and spanked in front of all of the other 'ladies of the evening,' to make an example of him and show how they'd be punished if they tried the same stunt he had. Then, he'd been tied up and used by two men at the same time to make the punishment stick a little better.

He'd been left broken and used, unable to move for hours until one of the other women had found him and called for help. He'd almost been broken beyond repair; he was still disappointed that he hadn't had a chance to fade away, leaving his body to probably be tossed carelessly aside while his spirit flew free.

He had two more minutes to get up to room one-eleven, work his charms, and sell his body. Once the customer was finished with him, he had to scamper back down to his flesh-peddler and give him the money he'd made.

Of course, then he'd be checked over, just in case he'd taken any of the money and hidden it somewhere. The searches were just as humiliating and violating as the act of earning the money, really, especially when his panderer's lackey got such a kick out of touching him and making him moan indecently because of his sensitivity.

Damn nymph bodies! He didn't want any of the things that happened to him to feel good, but nymphs were sexual creatures by nature, so he had a naturally sensitive body. It made him feel dirtier than the actual act of sex itself, and he was often left crying himself to sleep at night, once again wishing he was completely human so he didn't have to feel all of these things when people touched him-!

Joey stumbled a little as the door was opened immediately after the first time his knuckles met the wood, and he was dragged inside. He squirmed a little as he was pulled up against a hard body, then stilled himself, looking up in confusion. "…N-no foreplay, sir?"

The older man smirked. "No." So saying, he smashed their mouths together and began ripping his robes.

"Ah-! Please, I'll just take them off—" He was punished when his clothes were ruined beyond repair. He bleated as the shredded fabric fluttered to the ground. "Mm—Ah, please—" He was forced down onto the bed with a sharp slap on the ass, making him immediately spread his legs wider and grasp the blankets tightly. "O-oh, one of those straight to business guys—"

"Don't speak. If I wanted to talk to someone during sex, I'd go fuck my wife," the man growled, then spanked him again. "Keep your lips sealed, or I'll have to complain about you to your peddler."

Joey bit his bottom lip and forced back anymore questions, waiting to be used. The last time a customer had complained, his panderer's lackey had been instructed to… _teach_ him how to pleasure his customers better. His lessons had included being blindfolded and forced to touch the other man, judging only by sound the spots that caused the greatest pleasure; he'd also had to learn to ignore his gag reflex, which had taken quite a lot of tries with both the flesh-peddler and his lackey. Every time he failed and sputtered or vomited, he was either spanked or slapped around, depending on the man's mood, before he had to try again.

The man's lackey had been terribly fond of punishing him by fucking him to the point of passing out, though.

His customer wasn't quite ready to use him yet, though, it seemed, and to get his attention back to the present instead of his past lessons, he began playing with the blond's entrance, rubbing it and pulling at it slowly. "My, you feel used. How often do people ask for you?" He paused for a moment, then smirked. "I know—people want a show, so they pay your peddler extra to tie you up so they can all have a go at you, betting on how many men you'll sate before you pass out or beg for mercy. Perhaps they'll even bet upon how loud you'll scream when they loose the dogs on you, ready to rip and tear you to pieces, when instead they fall prey to your beauty and see the most perfect _bitch_ they'll ever have…"

Joey whimpered and squirmed a little, but the man gave him another spank, harder than the first two. "Nn!"

"Stay still now, little nymph. I believe I'm _almost_ ready to fuck you into the sheets…"

The blond squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the first painful intrusion; no one was careful with his body, expecting it to be pliant and easy to heal like a regular nymph's. That was the only reason he'd _ever_ wished to be a full-blooded nymph. Nymphs didn't have to worry about injuries because they healed so quickly.

He frowned when they weight of the man leaning over him left, and he heard a thump as the weight of a body fell to the ground. He opened his eyes slowly, afraid of what he'd see, then gasped as he saw the man collapsed on the ground, blood and pus oozing from the wound on his neck that was still sizzling from the venom.

He'd only ever seen one other creature with that wound, out of the brunet's courtesy to him, because _Seto had always hunted alone!_ Oh, gods, what if the naga had come to find him just so he could kill him for running away after they'd had sex without informing him or at least talking about it?

Joey edged around the man's body and bit his bottom lip. His only choice was to run for it while he still could—

"Jussst where the hell do you think you're going?" Quick as a silvery flash, the naga was in front of the door he'd been planning to use as his escape, eyes narrowed. As the blond stumbled backward in surprise, he let out an angry hiss. "You realize that this is exactly what I wanted to sssave you _from?_ The reason I had sssex with you, ssso you wouldn't have to worry about all the men and women coming on to you? And of courssse all of that time I spent with you has gone to wassste because _YOU SSSTILL DON'T KNOW ME!_" he roared furiously, speech slurring into angry hisses at some points.

Joey yelped as he tripped over the body and fell to the ground in his retreat, then anxiously began scooting backward as the brunet advanced on him. "Y-ya said ya didn't like nymphs all the time, and that last time—ya looked at me with disgust, and I just couldn't—" Joey let out sob and covered his face, unable to help feeling again the desolation of the crushing realization. "I couldn't make ya unhappy by stayin' if ya were really that disgusted by me!"

Seto frowned as he watched the blond cry into his hands, suddenly looking much smaller and more pitiful than the Joey he was used to. Circling the half-nymph slowly, he pulled him into his arms and allowed him to cry into his chest. "You didn't need to leave. I wasn't disgusted by _you,_ I… I was disgusted with myself for being happy that you wanted to remember the sex. People don't usually want to remember sex with a… snake."

"Take me home!" the blond sobbed, hugging him tightly. "I swear I'll never have sex with anyone again! I hate it! I hate havin' sex all the time! It hurts so bad-!" He choked on a sob and coughed, then whimpered pathetically. "…Please take me home, Seto. I promise I'll even leave ya alone, just… don't make me stay here…!"

Seto didn't tell him that he had no intention of leaving him once he'd found him, even if he'd argued that he loved the sex and wanted to stay. He _certainly_ wasn't going to leave him there now, hearing that he hated it—hated the amounts of sex he was forced to have, hated how he was hurt all the time. He couldn't let his little nymph suffer like that.

Cupping the blond's warm, damp cheek, he frowned. "What do you mean, it hurts? Don't they prepare you?"

"…P-prepare me?" Joey repeated in confusion, looking up at him with still-wet eyes.

"For the love of—YESSS, PREPARE YOU!" The naga hugged him closer and fumed, anger nearly tangible as the blond snuggled into his tight grip. "_I_ prepared you when _we_ had sssex—no matter how much you protested! 'Oh, SSSeto—not just the fingers—please, just put it in me! Both at the same time, if you want!'"

The blond blushed brightly, eyes widening at his own supposed shamelessness, then hid his face in the brunet's chest again. "S-shut up!"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "You weren't complaining at the time, especially when you insisted on sssucking me off—"

"Seto!"

"Hmm." The brunet nuzzled the half-nymph's head, unable to help feeling relieved that he finally had him back in his arms despite the residual anger he felt. "We're going to wrap a blanket around you, and then I'm going to take you outside. You're going to stay exactly where I hide you; don't even _think_ of coming out, even if you hear screams. I have no intention of letting your flesh-peddler get away with humiliating you."

Joey looked up at him and smiled timidly. "O-okay. You're… you're really takin' me home?"

"You couldn't stop me if you tried," Seto assured, then carried him over to the bed so he could wrap him in a blanket. He hesitated, then quietly added, "…I've missed you."

He knew he'd said the right thing when the blond's smile grew into the grin he was used to seeing, and he felt his heart grow warm at the short flash of the Joey he remembered, before the whole 'sex-and-run-away' debacle.

Clearing his throat quietly, he frowned. "…Is there anyone else I should make suffer?"

"…H-his lackey. He really liked touchin' me, fuckin' me." Joey blushed in shame as he heard the naga hiss again. "I'm sorry. He… he just found out I was so sensitive, and… and he liked makin' me squirm." His eyes filled with tears again. "…Just… I don't care who ya hurt as long as ya don't hurt any of the girls. They were… they were nice t' me."

Seto hummed and tucked the blanket around him securely; it was chilly outside, but luckily not damp. He decided a little torture was in order for the two men that had forced his half-nymph into prostitution. Yes, the screaming might in the end terrify the poor little blond, but… he couldn't bring himself to care too much when he so badly wanted to rip the men to pieces.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey pulled the blanket closer around him as he heard the familiar glide of scales on grass, then looked up, biting his bottom lip. "Ya didn't hurt any of the girls, didja?"

Seto sighed and bent down to pull the blond into his arms. "No, I didn't hurt any of the girls. …Even if they did decide I was cute and almost didn't let me leave. It was hard to say no at one point, though." He smirked when the younger boy stiffened in his arms. "They were quite excited, you know, when they saw that I had two—"

"SHUT UP!" Joey roared, then huffed and turned his head away.

Seto may have come to get him, and he was very grateful, but it still hurt to know that he'd have sex with any number of human girls that weren't nearly as attractive as he was over having sex with him, just because of his nymph blood. He blamed his mother. _She_ was a whore, and now the gods were obviously punishing _him_ for it. He didn't appreciate the irony.

Seto frowned as the blond went silent. Maybe he'd said something wrong, something that reminded him of the horrors he'd been through in the past few weeks he'd been forced to whore when he'd only meant to lightly tease him. Sighing quietly, he thought back over what he'd said, trying to figure out what had made the blond shut him out again. He nearly slapped himself with his tail when he remembered what he'd said about the girls.

It wasn't that he didn't like Joey, or that he wasn't attracted to him. It was that… he'd spent so long believing the worst of nymphs and disliking them that he had a hard time accepting that he did, in fact, like this half-nymph and was honestly attracted to him.

Not that the attraction would do any good _now,_ he thought bitterly, and he damned himself for being so stupid in his denial. Joey probably wouldn't ever want sex again, since he couldn't remember the long, lazy days of sex during his lust haze and only had these recent experiences to fall back on. The fact that he'd hurt every time he was used would taint his perspective of sex forever, not to mention the sexual abuse from that stupid lackey, who'd had the _gall_ to gloat about how he'd tormented the blond with his own sensitivity.

He felt especially happy that he'd managed to torture the man for three hours before he finally died from the injections of poison _into his dick._

How could those morons not prepare him? Seto would admit that he wasn't exactly excited at the prospect of having sex with him at first, but when he'd begun preparing him and saw how sensitive he was, he'd been content to just continue using his fingers for _hours_ until Joey had finally cried and begged for more; he'd only complied because the blond had honestly looked ready to shove him away and either pleasure himself or go find someone who would take him immediately.

Seto sighed. He knew he could content himself with just being friends, cuddling the blond and kissing him innocently, but he also knew that eventually, he'd feel his own sexual urges. He wouldn't be able to sate himself with Joey, so he'd have to turn somewhere else—and reaffirm, in Joey's mind, his belief that he didn't think he was attractive.

Joey was truly high-maintenance. However, as he looked down at the blond and found he was smiling a content little smile, he decided he was worth it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…It's a little messy," Seto admitted quietly, frowning. "I wasn't… I wasn't expecting to bring you back directly to my den. –I'll clean it, of course—"

"I can't believe…" Joey couldn't help a quiet sob. "…He didn't want me back unless I'd come back with _money!_"

The brunet reached out to comfort him, but the half-nymph flinched away. "…I can't help you if you don't let me, Joey…"

"I don't _wanna_ be helped! I wanna cry and get mad and break something!" the blond wailed, hands clenching into fists. "After all I've done for him he has the _nerve_ t' kick me outta the house that _I_ cleaned and _I_ repaired and _I_ cooked in because _he_ doesn't have enough money? That's not _fair!_ I hate him! _I HATE HIM!_"

Seto frowned and slithered back a little as he felt the air around the blond thicken. He didn't really understand _why_ the half-nymph felt the need to cry and get mad, but he wasn't going to ask him—at least, not at this point. "…Joey?"

Joey turned toward him sharply, face still contorted in fury, then let out another helpless sob and fell to his knees, exhausted. "…'m so tired of cryin'…"

"You don't need to cry anymore, Joey." Pulling the blond into his arms, the naga sighed and twisted around so he was also wrapped in his coils comfortingly. "You're here with me. You're safe. You can be happy again."

"…Just… promise ya won't make me do anything I don't wanna." He bit his bottom lip and sniffled as he snuggled closer, then quietly added, "And just hold me. Don't do anything more, just… hold me…"

Seto nuzzled the top of his head and tightened his coils around him. "Alright." He waited a few minutes for the blond to calm down, so they could talk rationally, taking that time to enjoy the feeling of having the half-nymph in his arms, smelling his fresh scent (he could ignore the scents of other men for now, considering the poor little blond had had no choice in the matter); he had only chosen to go after him when the scent he'd left behind had gone stale, and then vanished altogether.

It was then that he'd realized that he wanted Joey all to himself.

The naga sighed and gave him a squeeze. "When you're ready for me to let go, I'll start cleaning my den, and we can figure out how you're going to sleep. Okay? …Okay, Joey?" Frowning when he still received no reply, he leaned around to see his face, in case he'd somehow frightened the blond into silence as he experienced a memory. When he saw the half-nymph's eyes shut, however, and tears still clinging to his golden lashes even as his lips curved into a little smile, he had to smile a little himself.

'_He must have really missed me.'_ Seto smiled a little and nuzzled him again, then frowned immediately as he remembered how happy the blond had been to be rescued. _'…He thought I didn't care, that I wouldn't come rescue him because I thought he was disgusting for being a nymph. He didn't even know he was a nymph until… And I liked him before then, and he liked me. …How badly did I hurt you when I rejected you, my precious?'_ He stroked the half-nymph's cheek with his thumb lightly.

He really had been cruel in his casual dismissal of the blond's feelings, then. He hadn't believed that Joey's feelings for him had been genuine, rather a nymph's flighty fancy for something new. It wasn't fair of him to think that, considering that Joey had been raised as a human, and still held silly human ideals like true love, and monogamous relationships and…

'_Do you love me?'_ Seto frowned, brows furrowing together in confusion. _'Even though I'm only half a man? Do you love me __**despite**__ my serpentine half… or __**because**__ of it?'_ He glanced down at his coils, which the blond hadn't shrunk from and instead curled into. _'…I hurt you, and you still cuddle up to me like I'd never sent you home in tears. Have you forgiven me? …Do you love me so much that you'd really forgive me for being so cruel to you?'_

Joey had probably never forgiven him, but only because he believed it wasn't truly Seto's fault; he must have believed himself to be the cause of his own pain, irritating the naga so badly that he'd _had_ to reject him and put him at a distance. The half-nymph had always been aggravatingly self-deprecating, probably thanks to that no-good drunkard he called a father. His father had blamed everything wrong in his life on Joey, and so Joey had only followed in his footsteps, blaming himself for everything wrong that happened in his own life.

Seto sighed; he'd have to fix the blond's outlook on himself and on life if he ever hoped to prove that he really did care, and to keep Joey from running away again. It really wasn't fair; some god was punishing him, that was for sure, and he'd get to the bottom of it sooner or later.

"…Seto…"

He felt one of the blond's smaller hands on his chest, pressing against it as the half-nymph sighed and snuggled closer to him. He couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips, even as he wondered if he'd ever get _his_ Joey back, the happy, impulsive little blond with so much spunk that most creatures had to think twice before messing with him.

Oh, his poor little nymph…


	5. Featherbrain

Author's Notes: So Little Nymph II? It's been updated. Majorly. So you should go reread it and see what happened.

Now. This story? YOU CAN ALL THANK Lover Of Sorrow FOR THE AWESOME IDEAS! Lover Of Sorrow, I hope this was sort of what you had in mind. If not, well… I fail. -_-

Featherbrain

"IhateyouIhateyouIhateyou!" Joey wailed, stumbling slightly over some tree roots. Luckily, he regained his footing and continued running, letting out a startled shriek as an arrow whistled past his head. He forced back the tears trying to blind him, not wanting his swimming vision to ultimately lead to his demise.

He couldn't really tell who he was yelling at, though. He hated his father for getting his mother pregnant and making him such a _freak._ He hated his mother for abandoning him as a child and stealing away his half-sister, leaving him to try and cope alone. He hated the villagers for driving him out, away from the only home he'd ever known, to live as a scavenger in the forest. And he hated the hunters that still strove to kill him despite the fact that he'd stayed away from the village and was actively fleeing all of the people he ever came across.

It was safe to say, though, that at this point, he hated _everyone_ that kept trying to hurt him!

"_Aha!_" Joey yelped as an arrow flew almost-true, piercing his little wing and making him stumble and fall to the ground in shock. Turning his head, he whimpered as he saw his golden-brown feathers becoming sticky with blood. "Ooowww…!" He struggled to his feet, however, and tried to continue on, but his pain and the tears finally blurring his vision had made him careless.

He let out another shriek as he felt something clamp around his right calf and yank painfully, making him tumble to the ground again. He tried to get to his feet again, figuring it was only a thorny vine, but another tug had him collapsing to the ground and writhing in pain. Turning, he let out a sob and reached down to brush his fingers over the bear trap, testing the springs to see if he could get loose.

He couldn't. The springs were too tight, he was suffering from too much shock, and his body just couldn't handle anymore. Against his will, his body shut down, first closing out the pain, then darkening his vision. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a pair of sharp blue eyes, and he quivered as he wondered if he'd be allowed to wake up just so the villagers could torture him, or if he'd be blessed with the ease of a quick death.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto jerked awake as he heard an ear-piercing shriek, nearly launching himself from his perch. Once he was awake, however, he was immediately alert; the animals knew better than to disturb him during his few hours of rest between rounds, so it must have been something new to this area of the forest, or the creatures he was supposed to be protecting were in trouble. He couldn't allow anyone to get hurt. It was part of his job as a Guardian!

Hearing another scream, he rushed toward it, leaping from branch to branch as he tried to figure out what sort of creature made that noise. It couldn't be a deer, but it wasn't a bear, either, because bears' voices were much deeper. A bird of some sort? But it wasn't screechy like a bird—

Coming to a sharp stop, he rested a hand against the trunk of the tree he had stopped in and leaned over a little to see what creature had so badly needed his help. "What the hell-?"

The creature appeared, for all intents and purposes, human. However, after a few more moments of scrutiny, he realized that it wasn't a human—at least, not completely. The little golden wings sprouting from his back despite his large stature proved the creature wasn't a cherub, and upon closer inspection, brown feathers seemed to mix in with his hair in tasteful decoration. Its mane of hair was thick and long, falling just past its shoulders and hiding the face from view, so he wasn't _quite_ sure if the creature was conscious or not, but when he saw the arrow piercing the little wing, he realized that, despite any misgivings he might have, the creature was in _his_ part of the forest, and it looked like it wasn't leaving soon.

Seto heard the dogs and hunters coming; he had only a few scant moments to help the poor little creature before it was at their mercy, so he immediately leapt to the ground. He grabbed the bear trap and snapped its jaws apart, then gathered the limp body in his arms, muttering curses at the difficulty the wings gave him for a few precious seconds. Eventually, though, he had the poor thing securely in his arms, and he quickly leapt back into the trees.

Turning to look down, he hissed in disgust as at least a dozen hunting dogs let out throaty bays and surrounded the broken trap, sniffing to find the scent again. Why did those humans need a _dozen_ dogs to track and kill the creature in his arms?

Seto let out an angry rumble that startled the dogs and made them whine and look around in confusion, even as the men came closer. Once he was sure the dogs were properly frightened, he growled, _**"Get… out!"**_

The hounds whined and whimpered, tails curling up under their bellies, but didn't leave; they were too loyal to their humans to just run away.

The brunet snarled angrily. _**"I SAID GET OUT!"**_

Yelping in terror at the loud, angry roar, the dogs fled, utterly confusing the humans, but the humans really couldn't hunt anything without them.

Seto grumbled to himself and settled more comfortably on the branch, taking a moment to settle his rescue across his lap, then tilted the blond's head back so he could examine his face. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the smooth, tear-stained face, framed attractively by the messy golden locks.

He smoothed some of the blond hair from the boy's face, letting his gaze drift down to his clothes. They were ratty and holy, and hung from his slender frame as if he'd been stouter, but had lost much of that weight. Testing the integrity of the cloth, the brunet squeaked as what was left of the shirt ripped, then looked down at the strip in his hand in shock. …He sincerely hoped the blond wasn't attached to his shirt.

Seeing that the ends of the blond's fingers were also stained red, Seto frowned and delicately lifted the damaged hand. He raised an eyebrow as he saw what looked like sharp talons extending from the tips of the blond's fingers, the blood surrounding the sharp appendages dried and crusted. Oddly enough, the blond still appeared to have fingernails, though they came to more of a point than any human's nails naturally should. Curious as to how the talons functioned, the brunet ran his finger over the one on the blond's index finger.

He squeaked again as the talon slid out from under his finger, back into the blond's flesh.

The smaller boy groaned quietly, whimpering in pain as the talons slid back into their hiding places, then fell limp again, sweat dampening his brow from the pain he was in despite unconsciousness. "Nngh…"

Seto blinked, then reached out to wipe the sweat away carefully. "What exactly _are_ you? A gifted or cursed human? A bastard child of mixed species? Ah—I see. That's it, isn't it? If the gods had cursed you, they'd have been merciful in changing you completely; you must be the bastard child of a mixed species to look so strange."

He frowned as he was reminded of the blond's other injuries; his leg was soaking the brunet's robes, and while one of the blond's wings was tucked gracefully against his back, the other was askew, the arrow piercing it still glistening with blood.

"…How are you so odd looking and yet still so beautiful?" Seto asked quietly, frowning, as he ran his thumb over the boy's bottom lip. "…Do you have destructive powers I don't know of yet? Poor little child…"

So he wasn't exactly sure how old this creature was; however, he knew that his age would be a drop in the bucket compared to his own seven hundred and forty-eight.

Well, he might as well keep the blond around until he knew whether he was evil or not. If he was evil, he'd kill the creature himself. And if he wasn't evil, well… Seto had always been a sucker for blonds. He could keep the little blond around until he grew tired of him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey hissed as he felt something yank on his feathers and reached back to clamp his hands over the back of his head. "Nngh! Those are attached t' my _head!_"

"Ah. My apologies."

"Yeah, ya better apologi—_aii!_" The blond yelped and shrank away from the voice, suddenly aware that he was awake after being caught by hunters. He looked around wildly for instruments of torture; he was baffled when he didn't find them.

Instead, he found himself in a rich-colored room, decorated with gold and sapphires. The wood of the bed frame, cabinets, tables, and chairs were a deep, rich cherry, and the carpet covering the floor was a mixture of dark crimson and indigo-blue, swirling so attractively that he almost wanted to get down on his knees and kiss it.

Then he remembered the voice, and he turned sharply, talons already forcing their ways through his skin and out his fingertips defensively. His breath stilled for one heartbeat—two—when his eyes landed on the speaker. He looked up at the brunet and bit his bottom lip, heart already sinking to his toes.

The man was tall—imposingly so—his sharp eyes seeming to add to his commanding aura. His body was made of hard muscle, making Joey stop even _hoping_ of winning a fight and escaping—and he knew that because the man was only covered by a small white tall that left little to the imagination. Not to mention the black lines decorating his body from his shoulders and down his arms—

"Oh, _gods!_" Joey pointed at him in horror. "You—You're the—the—"

"A demigod and Guardian of this land, yes," the brunet finished.

Joey forced himself not to swoon at the deep voice; he was lucky the demigod hadn't just killed him for trespassing. "I-I—I'll get outta your hair then," he stated quickly, turning to slide off the bed. He only got one step, however, before he collapsed with a howl of pain as fire shot up through his leg. "Ouch!"

"…You were injured, if you'll remember," the demigod reminded him, frowning, then walked over to lift him easily. "I was worried you'd lost too much blood, but silk is surprisingly tricky; it only _looked_ like you'd lost too much. In any case, that's one set of robes ruined."

"…'m sorry…" the blond whispered, frowning, as he looked down at his tightly bandaged calf. "…I… I don't have any money to replace 'em…"

The brunet snorted. "Please. I'm a demigod. I don't _need_ you to replace them. Now, I've deduced that you're some sort of human hybrid; tell me what your other half is." He prodded the younger boy's healthy wing to make his point. "How old are you, anyway? –You've gotten blood all over the bed!"

Joey cringed and looked down at his hands, forcing his talons to disappear into his skin again as he noticed the finger-shaped smears of red across the golden covers. "I-I'm sorry." He grimaced and tucked his fists beneath his chin. "…I-it's my bad luck, sir. It follows me everywhere. That's why the villagers banished me; it's 'cause I'm half griffin."

"Don't call me 'sir.' I've never been traditional and I have no interest in starting now." The man snorted in contempt. "My name is Seto. Use it when you address me."

The blond looked down at his lap and sighed as tears formed in his eyes. "…I'm sorry…"

"…Griffins don't carry bad luck. Where the fuck did your village get its information?" Seto asked after a moment, scowling. "Griffins mate for life. Surely your griffin parent could have protected you."

Joey flinched. "…No. He had sex with my ma and left. 'nd when I was old enough t' take care of myself… she and my step-dad abandoned me, took my sister with 'em."

"Oh." The brunet took a moment to pull his metaphorical foot out of his mouth. "…If it makes you feel better, the other griffins probably killed your father for his dishonorable actions."

The younger boy looked up at him in shock. "…How is _that_ s'posed t' make me _feel better!_" he wailed, then covered his face and began to cry; at least before, he'd been able to pretend that maybe his father _did_ want him, but couldn't take him because he'd been born mostly human. Now he didn't even have _that_ far-fetched dream to delude himself.

Seto frowned and lifted his hands helplessly. "I didn't mean to… You don't have to… to _cry._ Look, just… calm down, and stop crying…"

Joey huffed and shoved him away. "No! At least I could _pretend_ someone wanted me, but now ya _ruined_ it—" He cut himself off, stunned, when the demigod stumbled backward, but the towel covering him preferred to stay underneath him where it had gotten stuck, leaving the brunet bared to his gaze.

Erm… Well, Seto was a natural brunet…

"…I'm so sorry!" the blond exclaimed, covering his cheeks, then hurriedly dragged himself to the other side of the bed and managed to get his good foot on the ground. Crying could wait; right now, he had to escape before the demigod smote him. Or, at least, that was the plan, had the brunet not used his demigod powers to appear in front of him and shove him back onto the bed. "Agh!"

Seto scowled. "Nudity is a perfectly natural state of being, despite what humans believe. I'm not ashamed of myself, and I don't care who sees me."

Joey bit his bottom lip and averted his eyes. "…I can sure see that…"

"Of course you can; you have eyes, don't you? As a matter of fact—" The brunet paused, taking in the younger boy's flushed cheeks and the way he kept his eyes down submissively. "…You're attracted to me."

The blond sputtered helplessly. "_No,_ I—"

"You're giving off the same pheromones that a bitch in heat does." Seto frowned when he recognized the scents of shame and humiliation mingling with, and then overpowering, the scent of arousal. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You're not the first person to be attracted to me, and you probably won't be the last."

Joey dug his teeth into his bottom lip again, forcing the tears trying to surface back. "…I… I should go now…" he mumbled quietly, sliding his good foot back onto the ground, and was grateful when the brunet stepped back to allow him room. He just wanted to leave with all of the dignity he had left.

Or, that would have been the plan, had his injured leg not immediately given out the moment he put weight on it.

He gasped quietly as the brunet caught him, blushing as the strong arms wrapped around his waist. "Oh!" He lifted his hands and rested them on the demigod's biceps, shivering a little as he felt them flex beneath his fingers. "…I…"

Seto hummed thoughtfully as he ran his fingers up the blond's back. "…Hmm. Even as attracted to me as you are, you still deny feelings. It makes me wonder… why?"

Joey bit his bottom lip and jerked his head to the side. "…People called me 'featherbrain' 'cause I can't handle people touchin' my wings 'r my hair. 'nd that didn't change when I was old enough t' have sex." He ducked his head a little. "…'nd people always like grabbin' my hair 'r yankin' on my wings when they touch me. They think it's sexy or somethin'."

"Hmm." The brunet hummed thoughtfully even as he slid one of his hands up. "So you're saying you don't like… this?"

"Wha-? Haaaa—_aaaaa…!_" The blond jerked his head back in surprise, body quaking as he felt the demigod's finger tip rub the base of his uninjured wing lightly. "Aaaahhhh…! Aaaaahhhh!"

Seto smirked as he watched the hybrid's eyes widen unseeingly. "Does that hurt?"

"_Aaaaaahhhhhhh!_" Joey's good leg buckled, the only thing keeping him from falling the brunet's strong arms, and his wings shook as he continued to rub. "Oh-! Oh!"

"My, don't you sound just _erotic._" The demigod smirked wickedly as the blond wiggled, unable to escape, then gently carried him back to the bed and leaned him back to sit on the edge. "So if I move my hand… here?"

The blond let out a helpless wail as Seto's hand wrapped around the base of his good wing and rubbed it slowly, hand twisting in a way that made his blood boil in a manner he'd never felt before. "_Seto!_"

Seto smirked as the younger boy let out another wail as he came, then fell limp in his arms, sobbing. "That didn't feel too bad, did it?"

Joey could only continue to sob, somehow feeling violated despite having enjoyed the warm touch. "How-! It's s'posed t' hurt! I'm s'posed t' cry and beg for mercy—How did ya make it feel good!"

"…You've… _never_ had someone bring you to climax like that?" The brunet frowned. "And you've… never made yourself climax like that?"

The younger boy's sobs quieted into little hiccups. "…Is that why it hurts when people grab 'em? It's just like bein' kicked in the balls, but it's my back?"

Seto nodded. "Yes. I noticed they're too small for you to use them, and since they're extremely sensitive to the point of pain, it was the only thing that made sense. …You don't know much about your own body, do you?"

The blond mewed helplessly. "It's not like I had anyone to teach me-!"

"True, true." The demigod tilted his head thoughtfully, then smiled. "I have an idea. Why don't I help you figure out what your body can handle?"

Joey sniffled and wiped one of his eyes. "…I dunno…"

"If you don't like something, I'll stop immediately," Seto offered, idly petting the blond's thigh. "I only want to make you feel good, after all the trouble I went through to save you."

"…Oh." The blond blushed and bit his bottom lip, then nodded shyly. "…I guess I wouldn't mind, if… if ya really insist, and… and I _do_ owe ya for savin' my life, so… so as long as ya don't… ya know… break me t' pieces," he mumbled, blushing a little more at the thought of what the brunet might do to him.

The demigod purred. "Then perhaps you'd like to learn a little more right… now?"

Joey turned his gaze away meekly. "…Um… I sorta wanna get clean a little bit first." He glanced down at his ratty, stained pants, cheeks growing rosier.

Seto seemed disappointed by this at first, but after a moment, his lips quirked into another smirk. "Please, then, allow me to help you…"

"O-oh, ya don't hafta—" The blond paused when he saw the older man's dark gaze on him. "…_Oh!_ You _wanna_ help me!"

The brunet sighed. "I have the feeling that this is going to be very trying for my patience. …But I'll manage, somehow."


	6. Little Nymph III

Updated (07-07-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

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Little Nymph III

Joey bit his bottom lip as he watched the brunet slither away, managing a little smile and wave when the naga glanced back at him. Once he was certain that he was going to be gone for a while, though, he let out a helpless sob and sat down at the mouth of the cave that was their—Seto's—den.

He knew where Seto was going. He felt how tight his muscles were when they woke up, and how relaxed they were when they went to sleep. That could only happen if… if Seto was finding… _release_, with someone, most likely a human girl. …A _completely_ human girl.

He understood, of course. He did. Seto would have his own urges, and since he didn't really like nymphs, he'd have to go somewhere else. It made sense, so Joey had no right to get angry or upset. It wasn't like Seto had professed his undying love to him when he'd rescued him. He'd just said that he'd missed him and he'd been trying to save him from that sort of humiliation, anyway, so…

…So why did it hurt so much, knowing that Seto went to have sex with someone else everyday while he was just… stuck at his den, taking up space? He should be able to go places, too, at least for a little while. Unfortunately, he'd broken the brunet's trust when he first ran away, so he was wary of letting him too far from the den without him there as his escort; he also knew that if he left, Seto would come find him, because he had some sort of weird snake-sense that alerted him whenever he stepped so much as a toe outside of a certain distance.

Somehow, he just knew that if he disturbed the naga mid-coitus, he'd have fangs sunk into him so fast that he wouldn't know what killed him.

'…_Lonely…'_ Joey sighed shakily and hugged himself. _'I wasn't even this lonely when I was a harlot…'_ At least the other whores would talk to him. Seto came, cuddled him, sometimes brought food, but then he always left again.

Hearing a quiet hiss, he turned to look out of the den, hoping to himself that the naga was back, but knowing that the brunet was always gone at least a few hours before he came back. Thus, he was surprised when he actually saw Seto slithering back into view, looking agitated as he darted around and hissed like an angry snake.

Confused, Joey slowly stood, taking a few steps out of the den. "…S-Seto?"

Seto turned toward him sharply, eyes more reptilian than normal as the slitted pupils landed on him. "…Joey?"

"What's—_ah!_" The blond gasped as he was suddenly pressed up against the cold rock of the den, trembling as the naga hissed in his ear. He gulped shakily as he felt his tongue fluttering against his earlobe. "…S-S-Seto?"

"…Joeeeyyy…" The end of his tail slowly lifting to twine around the half-nymph's waist, Seto growled and lightly dragged his claws over the blond's cheek.

"Ah… Seto, wha—oh-!" Joey gasped as he was yanked closer to him, blushing as he felt something hard against his stomach. "Ah-! What are you—" He yelped as the scaly tail slapped the backs of his thighs, hips jerking forward in surprise. "Seto!"

Sliding his tongue over the younger boy's cheek, the naga hissed again, then hurriedly slithered over to the pile of blankets that served as the blond's bed. He pressed the blond down and waved his tail as he smirked down at him, holding his arms tightly. "…Hmm… What to do first…"

'_Do first? What-?'_ The half-nymph gasped quietly as he realized how much warmer the older boy's touch was. "Seto-!"

Seto released him long enough to strip him of the robes that had been made for him by his sister, being at least decent enough not to rip them off, then let out a rumble and met his eyes again. "Joey…"

Joey blushed a little at the intense gaze and bit his bottom lip. "…Ya goin' through a what's it? Sort of like when I had my-? For animals it's called… a heat?"

The brunet's tongue fluttered at him in a lewd smile. "Joeeeyyyy…"

Moaning a little, the half-nymph looked away. He had to admit that he was flattered that Seto had come to him during his heat, and he was a little turned on that the naga had chosen him over whatever partner he'd been using before, but he was hesitant to give in and let the serpentine man have his way with him; sex always hurt, and while he was willing to give Seto a try, who knew what he'd do during his heat? He was more like an animal than a human at the moment! "…P-please, Seto—I can't—"

Seto let out a distressed keen, brows furrowing together, then let out a pleading growl. "Miiiinnnneeee?"

His. Seto wanted him.

Letting out a defeated whimper, Joey nodded. "Yeah. Okay. Yours."

Seto hissed quietly, muttering to himself in his native tongue as he sat up and pet the blond's hips. "…Mine…"

Joey squeaked as the naga grabbed his hips and lifted them upward, unsure of what he was doing. "S-Seto, what are ya—_AAAAAHHHHHH!_" He squirmed wildly, feeling as if razors had just been dug into his right ass cheek, and turned his head, eyes widening in horror as he saw the brunet slowly pulling his fangs out. "Why wouldja—that _hurts!_"

But it wasn't sizzling, so he hadn't injected venom. It just hurt like a bitch.

"Jerk, why would you even—" His breath hitched as the brunet's glowing blue eyes met his. Suddenly, he realized he hadn't just been bitten. He didn't know what the significance was, but it was certainly a big deal to the naga.

Seto hissed loudly, then slithered up his body to crush his mouth in a rough kiss, tongue thrusting between his lips as soon as he gasped in surprise.

The half-nymph squirmed a little, eyes widening in surprise when the brunet's tongue slithered down his throat; it was only the practice he'd had before that kept him from gagging. He groaned helplessly as the tongue began mimicking the movements that would soon be occurring further down his body. Gasping as the brunet finally withdrew his tongue, he could only pant as the naga ground between his legs impatiently.

He moaned quietly and covered his eyes with an arm as the brunet nipped his shoulder. "Mm… You're gonna regret this when ya come out of this, Seto-!" Seto snarled and settled more firmly between his legs. He bit his bottom lip and sighed. "Okay. Okay, Seto."

Seto whined and nuzzled his neck before pulling the blond's legs to hook over his hips. "Mine…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto groaned as he woke, lifting a hand to cover his eyes from the sun; his entire body _ached._ He felt like he'd used muscles he hadn't even known he had. He hadn't felt this badly since his last rut—

Oh, shit. His rut. Wandering around agitatedly until he made his way back to his den, expecting another disappointing season and forgetting entirely about the blond staying with him. Finding Joey. Seducing him.

Having sex with him until the half-nymph had bleated pathetically for a little rest, then coercing him into more sexsexsex.

Sitting up quickly despite his protesting muscles, he wildly looked around his den for what had to be a broken little body. How could he have done that to the poor half-nymph when he'd already said he'd hated sex and didn't want it? Seeing the blond lying beneath the blankets that served as his bed when they weren't cuddling, he slithered over hurriedly, terrified that he'd find the body stiff and cold.

Instead, he was smacked in the face when touched the blond's shoulder. "Ow!"

"Go 'way. 'm mad atcha." Joey snuggled into his blankets and sighed. "Bitin' my ass again, ya jerk—now I'm gonna have two scars on both my ass. Do ya realize how embarrassin' that'll be to explain?"

Seto stared at him in confusion, cupping his inured cheek, then began tugging at the blankets frantically. "Let me see."

"Ow! No, ya jerk, I—" The blond yelped as the blankets were ripped away from his body and he was turned swiftly onto his stomach as the naga lifted his hips. "What the hell-!"

"Oh, shit," the naga breathed, eyes widening as he saw the twin fang marks on both of the blond's cheeks. "Oh, _shit._"

"Nyu!" Joey squirmed in embarrassment. "Oh shit what? Put me down!" He yelped again as the brunet abruptly dropped him. "Owie!"

Seto sighed and began slithering around in frustration. "Damn it. _Damn it._ This isn't what I wanted!"

The blond winced, then sat up and pulled the blankets over his lap. "…I-I know ya wouldn't have done it under normal circumstances, Seto. Just… warn me next time and I'll try t' prepare for it—"

The naga paused to stare at him, then scowled. "I'm not talking about the sex. I'm talking about claiming you as mine! I bit your ass with my fangs, and that shows to other nagas that you're my mate. Now we're stuck with each other until one of us dies!"

Joey flinched again at the harsh tone. Once he registered _what_ had been said instead of _how_, though, he felt tears stinging his eyes. "…Oh. I-I'm sorry, Seto. I never realized… Ya probably wanted t' mate with another naga, huh? 'nd matin' with a stupid nymph instead, too…"

Seto frowned as the blond seemed to shrink under his gaze, then glided over to him. "That's not what I meant. You see, Joey, I—"

"Hate me because I'm a nymph?" the younger boy cut in, turning his head away as his throat tightened with the want to cry. "'re disappointed ya didn't at least find some human to mate with instead as long as you weren't permanently tied t' a dirty, used nymph?" He bleated in surprise as the brunet's palm struck his cheek, his own hand flying up to touch the tender skin, then looked up at him in surprise, even as a few tears leaked from his eyes.

"I do _not_ hate you," the naga hissed angrily. "And I do _not_ want to be tied to a human."

Joey whimpered quietly in confusion and shrank beneath his furious gaze. "…I… What do ya want from me, Seto? You've never made me think anything different." He gasped as he saw a flash of silver before he was wrapped in the naga's coils. "Seto-!"

Seto buried his face into the half-nymph's neck. "It's not that you've had sex with other people. You were forced, and I certainly won't hold that against you. And it's not that I want another naga or even a human—though let me assure you, if you'd been completely human, you would have died during my rut. And it's not because I don't like nymphs. I just… don't think it's fair to you."

The blond looked up at him in confusion. "…What-?"

"…You love me, don't you, Joey?"

"Oh-!" The half-nymph bit his bottom lip and blushed, jerking his gaze away quickly. "W-what would make ya think th—"

"You don't have to deny it. I already know," Seto stated quietly, and the blond unconsciously confirmed it when he fell still. "It doesn't seem fair that you feel so deeply for me when I only feel affection for you. I like you more and more each day, but I feel badly that it's taking me so long to love you like you love me."

"…You… you're tryin' to love me?" Joey frowned. "…I don't want ya t' feel ya _hafta_ love me, Seto. I—" He gasped quietly as the brunet tilted his head up and pressed their lips together, eyes widening in surprise and confusion.

Seto had kissed him once before, when he'd first gone into heat, but this felt different; it was less sexual, more… _something._ Something that wasn't sex or pity or disgust. He liked it. It felt nice, innocent—like something he hadn't felt for a while.

"…I like you," the brunet whispered against his lips. "I want you to be happy with me."

Joey sighed quietly, enjoying the gentle press of lips against his, before he quietly answered, "I want to be happy with you."

"I'm sorry I didn't stay away during my rut." Sighing quietly, Seto leaned back and frowned in concern. "Did I hurt you? Are you injured?" He stroked the blond's side gently. "I know how… insatiable I can get when I go into rut."

"I'm okay. I was able t' convince ya t' settle down enough to use my mouth instead of actual sex sometimes, so I wasn't hurt too bad." The blond blushed. "…Um… I-I liked the sex, though. You… you p-prepared me. It… it felt really good." He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away in embarrassment. "Sex isn't… It's not painful when you prepare me."

The naga's concern didn't fade. "Are you sure? You're only half-nymph."

"Um… Yeah. 'm a little sore, but it doesn't hurt like before…" Joey lifted a hand to gently trail his fingers over his lips, then looked up at the brunet bashfully. "…Kiss me 'gain, Seto?"

Seto waited a few moments to answer, eyeing him carefully, then slid his fingers into the half-nymph's hair and tilted his head upward, dipping his head the rest of the way to brush their lips together again. When the blond mewed in approval, he wrapped his arms around his waist to pull him closer, coiling his tail tightly to make him feel more protected.

He knew his feelings weren't nearly as intense as Joey's, but if they kept having innocent little moments like this—chaste kisses, innocent embraces, honest conversations—he believed they could be.


	7. Queen

Author's Note: If you don't know what a nekomata is, you should go look it up, otherwise it might confuse you. Also, an interesting tidbit of information for you: a female breeding cat is called a queen.

WHAT? A QUEEN?

Yes. Because have you ever met a female cat that you couldn't imagine saying, "I am the Queen and you are my Loyal Subjects." They're royalty. They know it. And so, we are doomed. :|

…Somehow, I'm disappointed in this chapter. I'M SORRY, Lover Of Sorrow! D:

Updated (07-07-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

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Queen

Water. Water. Water. Water. Water.

Now, Joey didn't necessarily like water, but the priests had told him that running water would help with his meditation—which he also didn't like. Actually, he really didn't know why he was training to be a priest. He didn't really like all of the work they did, and he especially didn't like having to sit in one place for extended amounts of time, doing nothing but meditating. The only reason he'd agreed to become a priest was to make his mother stop badgering him to do something other than wood-carving.

He was good with knives and wood. What could he say?

"_Hmmm…_ You know, you're quite unlikely to become a priest at the right you're going. You've moved out of _seiza_ eight times in three minutes."

Joey jumped and turned sharply, startled. He blushed a little as he saw a brunet sitting idly on the branch of a tree nearby, his sharp blue eyes watching him in such a penetrating way that he felt naked under his gaze. Ignoring the fact that the stranger only wore a pair of tattered pants that were more hole than cloth, he began, "Who are you t' judge what I—"

"I'm disappointed, Joey." The brunet slid from the branch and landed in a crouched position, using one hand to stabilize himself. He lifted his head to gaze at him again, just as intently. "I would think you'd recognize me."

The blond frowned and tilted his head. "I… don't think I've ever met ya. I'm sorry."

"Hmm, you really _are_ oblivious, aren't you?" The stranger smirked at him, exposing long, sharp eyeteeth. "Don't you remember those poor little strays you fed because no one else would? People were afraid that they were nekomata, so they _wanted_ those cats to starve to death?"

Joey blinked innocently. "Oh, were those your cats, then?"

The brunet purred. "You really _are_ a little moron, aren't you? But somehow, that's charming." Before the younger boy could get offended and snarl at him, he continued, "Let me assure you that I want to _thank you,_ Joey, not hurt you."

"What are ya—_eee!_" The blond jerked back in surprise as something parted from the stranger's hair and lifted, showing them to be feline ears. He paled a little as he saw a long, brown forked tail rise from behind him. "Oh, Kami-sama."

"My name is Seto, and I'd like to thank you for feeding both my brother and me." Seto's eyes narrowed a little as he prowled up to him and rubbed his cheek against the blond's shoulder. "Though I must admit… I don't think you're ever going to become a full-fledged priest."

Joey shivered and jerked away from him quickly, confused by his body heat rising. "W-wha-?"

The nekomata growled quietly and smirked, licking his lips in a way that somehow made the blond shiver again just by seeing it. "You know, when I first saw you, I knew you were different. Something about your aura just… drew me to you."

"D-drew ya t' me? Why me!" the blond exclaimed, trying to crawl backward. He squeaked as the older man caught his robes and fell backward, gasping as the feline-turned-human pinned him to the ground. "Wha-!"

"Did you think I'd just… _let_ you escape, after I'd finally found you?" Seto smiled in amusement. "You really are such a silly little human, Joey."

Joey squirmed beneath him anxiously. "Finally found me? Well, ya found me, so ya can let me go now!"

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Did you really expect me to listen to you?"

"It was worth a shot…!" The priest-in-training bit his bottom lip as his body continued to heat up. "…Are you killin' me now?"

"Now Joey… why would I kill my Queen?" Seto cooed, smiling sweetly—so sweet that the blond could almost taste the poison behind his words.

Joey had only a split second to recognize the pain in the back of his head before his vision went dark.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mm… _Mm…_"

Joey moaned quietly as he felt something hot and wet rubbing against his cheek. "Ngh, ow…" He gasped as something sharp dug into his hip and jerked to full consciousness, immediately looking around to figure out where he was. "Wha—ah, you!"

"Yes, me." Seto grinned in a decidedly uncomforting manner. "Welcome to my home."

His home was actually pretty nice for what seemed like a starving stray cat. It appeared that they were in a cave, but the walls were somehow scoured smooth, covered with large tapestries of different colors and designs. The dirt floor was packed hard, also covered with a few tasteful carpets, and the bed—

"Why am I on a bed and why are you on top of me?" Joey shrieked, blushing brightly.

At that, the playful expression on the nekomata's face faded, replaced with a serious frown. "Because I wouldn't dare make you my Queen anywhere else."

"But what does that—_ah!_" The blond wriggled wildly as he was tugged upward, only then realizing that his wrists were bound together tightly with the cloth belt from his robes, and that he was disconcertingly nude. "What are you—where are my—"

Seto hissed as he tugged the blond around to settle him on his lap. "You aren't priest material, Joey. Even you must realize that."

"Maybe so, but—" Joey tried to squirm, but a sudden iron grip on his hips made his body still instinctively.

The brunet growled and nuzzled his neck roughly, then whispered, "You weren't meant to be a priest. You were meant to be my Queen. You _must_ feel it. You know something isn't right whenever you practice for priesthood. But something feels right at this very moment, doesn't it? _I_ feel right for you."

"…Nn…" The younger boy trembled a little at the feeling of warm breath against his ear.

He didn't want to admit that this felt good—that he felt any sort of _rightness_ at all—but he didn't feel _nearly_ as uncomfortable with the brunet as he did back at the temple. He could admit that he never really wanted to be there, that he didn't feel being a priest was his calling, but… but Seto was a _nekomata!_ How did he know he wouldn't kill him and then steal his body-!

"…Are you a good nekomata or a bad nekomata?" he asked quietly, then bit his bottom lip. "…'re ya gonna kill me and take my body?"

Seto let out a quiet 'hmm' sound more reminiscent of a feline than a human. "I'd rather you be alive to _enjoy_ me taking your body. In any case, I like to think I'm neither. I'm not necessarily bad; I do enjoy watching someone hurt themselves, but if they're hurt exceptionally bad, I'll go out of my way to get them some help." He trailed his fingers up the outside of the blond's thigh. "Though I can be persuaded to be either way, really."

Joey tilted his head to look at him in confusion. "…A-and ya want me as your… as your Queen? Why? What does that mean for me?"

"Well…" Jerking the blond around so he was flat on his back on the bed again, the nekomata purred. "It means that you will be _mine._ You will spend your time with _me._" Tail twitching in annoyance at having to hold himself back, he just barely kept himself from eating the blond's face when his cheeks turned pink. "In being my Queen, you will submit to me, but control my domain beside me. I will respect you, but in return… you must respect my wishes, feelings—me. You must respect my brother as well."

The blond frowned. "So basically… just do everything I did at the temple."

"You don't have to meditate or stay in one place for long, Joey. In fact, if my brother and I have our say, we'll be romping around quite often." The brunet's eyes narrowed slyly. "Though my definition of 'romping' certainly differs from my brother's."

Joey looked back at him again, brows furrowing together. "They can't be that different. Can they?"

"I'll explain the difference if you agree to be my Queen," the feline man replied, smirking.

At that, the blond frowned and turned his gaze away. He knew he didn't belong at the temple; he didn't want to be there in the first place. He didn't want to dishonor Kami-sama, either, by not putting his all into being a priest, and he didn't want to be unhappy. He didn't know how it would work out, being Seto's Queen, but at least he'd have a chance at being happy. Besides, romping and playing around sounded so much more fun than meditating…

"…Okay. I'll be your Queen," Joey stated after a few more moments of thought. "You'll let me visit my family, though, won't ya?"

Seto cooed at him and smiled. "Of _course,_ Joey."

The blond squirmed beneath the look he was given. "…W-what's the difference in rompin' with you and your brother?" He gasped quietly as the feline man's knee brushed against his inner thigh. It must have been an accident though.

"Well, to my brother, romping is just playing around and roughhousing; it's completely innocent." The nekomata's eyes darkened.

Joey shivered as he tried to turn and cover his body a little from the brunet's dark gaze. "…A-and what is rompin' t' you?"

"…Romping to me…" Seto purred, smirking, then dug his claws into the blond's hip again.

He jerked his head away and whimpered; it didn't hurt too much, but it had startled him. "Ah-!"

"…Is a good roll in the hay. Or sheets, in this case. Will you role in the sheets with me, Joey?" the brunet hissed, beginning to knead his hip gently. "I'll show you one of the perks of being my Queen."

"But I—I don't even know you—'nd ya don't even know me-!" He jerked his head again when he felt the brunet's lips brush against his chin.

Seto growled quietly. "I know that you fed my brother and me when no one else would. You've already agreed to be my Queen, Joey." He nuzzled the blond's throat roughly, smirking when the human mewed in surprise, then began rubbing against the blond's body slowly to cover him in his scent. "Does this feel bad?"

"Nn-! Nnnn!" Joey squirmed a little more, then whimpered quietly as he registered the question.

…It didn't really feel bad. It was different—they were both male, of course it was different—but it wasn't a _bad_ different. In fact, if he thought about it a little (which he didn't want to, but was now forcing himself to), it actually felt… sort of good. It felt especially good when he felt something soft and furry brushing the insides of his thighs.

He moaned as the brunet rubbed against him again, blushing as the feline rubbed his cheek against his chin. "…S-Seto…!"

"You've agreed to be my Queen, Joey. At least let me show you how good I can make you feel…" Seto slid a hand down the blond's side, ears wilting in a way he knew was irresistible. "Please?"

Joey looked up at him and swallowed thickly at the pleading expression he was met with. Seto hadn't really hurt him up to this point (aside from knocking him out and kidnapping him). And he'd said that they'd respect each other, too… And if he was going to be staying with him…

…Seto _had_ said he was going to show him one of the _perks…_

"O-okay."

Seto looked up at him sharply, ears flying up in surprise. His surprise, however, soon melted back into a smug smirk. "Really?"

Joey blushed a little. "Just… just untie me, 'kay? I don't—I wanna—_eee!_" He yelped as the belt was ripped from his arms. "Ouch!"

The brunet paused, frowning. "I'm sorry. I didn't actually mean to do that."

"If that's what a perk is I don't want it anymore!" the human exclaimed, scowling.

The feline whined. "I didn't mean to do that!"

"…Fine. But that was your last chance! If ya screw up again, I'm punchin' ya in the face and leaving!"

The brunet pursed his lips irritably, but he supposed he deserved this for finding a human attractive.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto purred smugly as he began to knead the blond's firm rump, teeth still firmly lodged in the back of his neck from their lovemaking. It had been wonderful; even though he was inexperienced, Joey had been an excellent lover and hadn't complained too much even when he was doing feline things.

The blond squirmed uncomfortably. "…Leggo o' my neck." He blushed a little. "'nd stop doin' that t' my butt!"

"Buh I lie yo buh." The nekomata released his neck with a slurp but continued to knead his ass. "Do you like being my Queen?"

Joey blushed even more and wiggled helplessly beneath him. "I-it's not bad. It's just… it's different." He closed his eyes tightly in embarrassment. "Leggo o' my ass!"

"Hmmmm… If you really want me to…"

"Yes!" The blond yelped again as he was flipped onto his back before the feline began rubbing against him again. "Agh! You're not gonna do that again yet, are ya?"

"As much as I would _like_ to… I don't quite think you could handle it yet," Seto stated. He smirked. "If, by 'that,' you mean _sex._"

Joey turned his head and bit his bottom lip. "…So I'm stayin' with ya now? I don't hafta go back t' the temple? …The priests always yelled at me 'cause I couldn't sit still…"

The brunet let out a rumble of annoyance. "Of course you're staying with me. You're my Queen. It would be unacceptable for my Queen to live anywhere that isn't with _me._" He paused, then leaned down to kiss him lightly. "Unless you think I'm entirely too terrible to live with."

"…You're gonna feed me, right?" the younger boy asked quietly.

The feline looked appalled at the insinuation that he would not take care of his Queen completely. "Of course I'll feed you! And pamper you, put you in pretty clothes, clean you—"

"I'm perfectly capable of cleanin' myself!" the blond exclaimed, blushing again.

Seto scowled. "I'm putting my scent on you even if I have to lick you twice."

Joey blinked at him in confusion, still blushing a little. "…L-lick me? T' put your scent on me?"

"…I suppose I should explain a few things," the brunet admitted. "I guess I figured assimilating you to the feline lifestyle would be easy once I made you my Queen."

The blond blinked again. "…What?"

"Let's get you clean before I start explaining anything." The feline glanced down at the cum smeared across the younger boy's body and staining the bedspread. "…Though I must admit that you're pretty attractive like this."

"Huh?" Joey tilted his head, brows furrowing together.

Seto cooed and stroked his cheek. "You're so cute when you're outrageously oblivious."

"…Was that an insult? Hey!" He mewed in complaint as the brunet stood and scooped him into his arms, blushing again as he hurriedly wrapped his arms around his neck. "Ya better not be makin' fun of me, 'cause if I figure out ya are, I'm gonna punch ya in the face!"

"Oh, yes, I'm _so_ af—uuuuuuuuccccckkkkkk!" The brunet groaned from the pain of being elbowed in the gut; obviously, he had quite underestimated his Queen's physical strength.


	8. Mischievous Incubus

Updated (07-07-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Mischievous Incubus

Joey fluttered his wings and bit his bottom lip. He wondered if he wanted to do this one last time, then shook any last doubts away. He could do this. He just needed to prove himself, pass this test, and he'd be just as respected as everyone else.

…Hmm… He was just really worried about the test he had to pass…

The test named Seto Kaiba.

Admittedly, he was sure that he would be forcefully thrown off the bed and out of the mansion when the CEO woke up, but at the same time… he just knew it would be _really_ good sex if he could convince his rival to have sex with him. …Well, as long as Seto didn't die _laughing_ at him, first.

Taking a deep breath, Joey forced his wings to be still and, taking one last moment to examine himself, he then crawled onto the bed with the sleeping teen. He jumped a little when the brunet jerked awake when he got closer and nearly panicked and fled, but he forced himself to relax when the older boy only blinked at him blearily.

"…Wheeler? What the fuck-?"

Joey purred and crawled closer to his side. "Mm, you've always been a smart guy, _Seto._ How'd ya know that's what I was here for?"

Seto blinked at him a little longer. "What-? …What the hell. This is still a dream. Listen, it's bad enough that I have to deal with you when I'm awake; get lost so I can get some rest. I only need _one_ night of dreams without you in them and I'd appreciate it if it was tonight." So saying, he turned over and tugged his blankets up around his shoulders.

The blond frowned and sat back, brows furrowing together in frustration. However, he was nothing if not stubborn, so giving up was the furthest thing from his mind. Licking his lips, he eyed one of the smooth, pale shoulders carefully, then leaned down and began placing soft, teasing little kisses across it, finally settling to nibble and lick the crook of the brunet's neck.

"Wheeler, what the—Mmmn, that feels…" The brunet shuddered as he felt the younger boy's fingers gently digging into his side as his teeth lightly pulled at the sensitive skin on his neck. "Mm, you're trying to start something you're going to have to finish, little puppy."

Joey grunted quietly in acknowledgement and jerked on his shoulder so the older boy was on his back again. "Taste so good, Seto…" He gasped as the brunet's fingers dug into his hair and jerked his head up, startled. When he was only tugged into a wet, open-mouth kiss, he relaxed, moaning quietly as he leaned over him. "Mm—_mm—Mmyu!_" He jumped a little as he felt the brunet's other hand grab his ass, then moaned again, trying to fight for dominance.

He lost when their positions abruptly switched, leaving him splayed out beneath the older boy. Seto cupped his cheek and smirked. "Hmm, this is my dream, puppy. I'm on top."

He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't disgruntled, but he'd sort of figured that Kaiba would be a control freak. Shifting so he could better position his wings without giving them away, he nodded. "Okay, Seto…"

"…You know, of all the times I've dreamed of this, I don't think I've ever been as turned on as I am right now," Seto commented idly, eyeing the blond up and down. He slid a hand down the younger boy's side to end its journey at his hip. "Then again, I've never dreamed of you coming to seduce me without any clothes on. I always dreamed of a seductive striptease. But this… this is almost better."

Joey frowned in confusion. "You… ya dream of me? More than once?"

The brunet's eyes slid up to meet his. "You've been haunting my dreams a lot lately. Mmhmm. I especially liked the dream where you put on this _sexy_ little piece of black lingerie, so lacy and frilly and you looked _so_ attractive…"

"Nngh!" The demon swallowed thickly when the hand at his hip slid down further to cup one of his ass cheeks, giving it a firm squeeze that made him shiver a little. "Seto…!" Jeez, he'd never imagined this would go so smoothly.

He yelped as he was pulled into another kiss, moaning as the brunet's tongue delved into his mouth and began wrestling with his. The first kiss had been a lot gentler, but he couldn't complain about this one, either; it was the first time he'd ever really been on an even keel with Seto, especially because his tongue was much more dexterous and he could control his breathing much more. Despite that, though, he couldn't help but gasp in relief as the older boy finally broke the kiss.

Seto growled as he saw the string of saliva hanging from the blond's plump bottom lip, watching as the string broke and dripped onto the younger boy's bare thigh.

That was just too sexy not to maul him, really.

Joey gasped in surprise as he was yanked forward, biting his bottom lip anxiously as the brunet held him tightly against his body and buried his face into his neck. "Seto-!"

"I want to fuck you so hard, Joey, if you were real, you wouldn't be able to walk for _days,_" Seto hissed, before he caught the blond's earlobe between his teeth and pulled lightly. "Do you want me to fuck you, Joey? Do you want me to pound into you, making you mine until you scream for mercy?"

"Uhn…!" The blond closed his eyes tightly and dug his teeth into his bottom lip. Did it still count as passing the test if it turned out _he_ was the one being seduced instead?

.-.-.-.-.-.

He hadn't passed his test; the other incubi were going to laugh at him, make fun of him for getting off first—with his _human rival,_ no less! Why could he manage to go for hours by himself? It wasn't fair! The one time he should have had the upper hand, it was taken away from him! Why couldn't he be the better one for once? Why was Seto always the one _better than him?_

Seto grunted as he reached his own release and hugged the smaller teen tightly. "God, puppy, that was better than—Why are you crying?" He was horrified; none of his dreams had ever ended like this. "Did I hurt you?"

"…Ya always gotta be better than me at _everything,_" the blond ground out angrily. "Even at _sex._ _I_ should be better at sex. I was _born_ t' have sex!" He struggled weakly in his arms, letting out a quiet growl as his wings fluttered. "Ya gotta show me up at _everything,_ doncha, moneybags!"

Bewildered felt like an understatement; Seto felt like the world had been turned upside-down. "What are you talking about?"

"Just—just shut up! Shut up!" Breaking free of the brunet's grip, he stomped over to the mirror he'd come through, then turned to glare at the confused human angrily. "Why are ya better than me at somethin' I was born t' do! _I'm_ s'posed t' make _you_ come first, not the other way around! Me! _Me!_ God, all I wanted was t' be better at somethin' than you, an' I—" He stopped and lifted a fist to wipe frantically at the tears in his eyes to keep them from falling. "…I just wanted t' be better at somethin' for _once._"

So saying, he forced the mirror liquid for the few seconds he needed to travel through it.

"Puppy!" Seto grew even more confused as the blond disappeared.

He didn't know how he had managed to upset the younger boy; all he'd wanted to do was make him feel good. Now his puppy was gone, in tears because he'd… made him come first? _What?_

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, look who it is!"

"Guess you weren't as good at controlling yourself as you _thought_ you were, blondie!"

"How does it feel knowing that a human is better at giving sex than you?"

Joey grit his teeth to keep from saying anything and stomped past the laughing group of incubi that were his classmates to their teacher's desk, slamming a red piece of paper on the desktop. "I failed."

The man hummed. "I noticed. So, when would you like to schedule to retake your test?"

"I'm not retakin' it!" the blond snapped. "I can't believe I thought I'd ever be good at this!"

When he turned to storm away, though, a hand caught his wrist and dragged him back. "Hey, Joey, we were just kidding. You're good at sex, it's just… he's better."

"Go fuck yourself!" the blond snarled, yanking his hand away. "If I can't beat Kaiba at this then there's no point! I might as well just throw in the towel at everything!"

It wasn't fair. He realized that Seto was a logical person, so obviously things like strategy games were his forte; he also realized that he himself was a physical person, acting on emotion and such. That meant he should be better at sex! It only made sense!

…Why did Seto have to be so good at everything, showing him up at every turn? He'd gone through so much to be able to be called an incubus, had trained so hard, and… Seto had thrown all of that hard work in his face, and he hadn't even known it.

Joey sighed and hugged himself even as his wings wilted in despair. …Maybe… he was just a hopeless little mutt. He was only three quarters incubus anyway… Perhaps he just… wasn't meant to be much of anything.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned and leaned his head on his hand, unable to concentrate on his book. All he could think about was his dream from the night before, feeling guilty and confused despite not having any real reason to.

It was just a dream. It wasn't the _real_ Joey. He hadn't made his real puppy cry or scream nonsense about how he should be better at sex at him. It was just another dream where he fucked the blond until they both came and that was the end of it!

…That didn't mean he wasn't going to sneak a peek at the blond when he came in, just to make sure that he was as happy as he always was.

Peering over the edge of his book as he heard the Geek Squad greet his puppy by name, he frowned in concern when he saw that Joey looked sad, and tired. He watched the blond mumble a greeting that made Yugi and Téa ask if he was okay and Tristan punch him in the arm and tell him to buck up. He pondered whether or not he should address the blond, rile him up a little, when his eyes caught something on the younger boy's neck.

Seto's eyes widened as he saw the dark purple hickey in the exact same place he'd made one in his dream.


	9. Allure

Author's Note: This idea is from narutosfangirl! Actually, last chapter was inspired by her, too, but I wrote it before she gave me any specifics on what she meant, so yeah. This one is hers!

I hope you like it, narutosfangirl!

Updated (07-07-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Allure

Joey bit his bottom lip and glanced around for an escape. He couldn't deal with Seto today. He just couldn't. Not when he'd realized that he found the brunet attractive!

Things… _happened_ when he realized that he liked people's bodies. And it was worse when his latent powers _acknowledged_ his realizations, because then he was at the mercy of the situation; whether or not he could escape was based on who he was surrounded by and where. At school was _definitely_ a bad place for his powers to just pop up with a careless 'hi guys!'

He groaned as he felt his body warming up, flinching when he heard footsteps slowing as they passed him. The men's room would have to do as his escape for now—especially when he heard the brunet's telltale voice behind him!

Rushing into the restroom, Joey let out a frustrated sob and lunged into one of the stalls. He slammed the door shut and slid the lock in place, then turned and leaned his head against the cool metal of the stall. It wasn't fair. He thought Seto Kaiba was attractive—more attractive than anyone he'd thought of in a long time!—but the only reason Seto thought about him positively was because he'd recently learned that he was a cambion.

He'd approached him soon after learning that, proposing a business contract; if Joey would use his powers to spy on other companies, Seto would pay him well.

Since that wasn't the most romantic proposition in the world, Joey had promptly punched him in the face and stormed away. However, that didn't stop the brunet from coming back for more, eventually abandoning any idea of sexual espionage for something a little more personal. Unfortunately, by that time, too many people had tried to use the poor blond for him to want anything to do with him—or anybody else, for that matter.

He just wished he could go back to the days before he'd reached puberty! He'd been raised as a human, so he still had human ideals, and he just couldn't shake them to be a regular cambion that used and tempted others without a care! He had no hope of being normal under _any_ circumstances!

Joey jumped when he heard the bathroom door squeak open and shut again, then hurriedly tried to steady his breathing. Unfortunately, he knew he'd been heard, so he took a deep breath to settle his nerves and unlocked the stall, then stepped out and moved toward the sink. A quick peek in the mirror proved what he'd been guessing to be true. "Can't ya give it a rest? I already told ya that I'm not interested."

"I keep hoping you'll change your mind," Seto replied, coming over to lean against the wall next to the sink. He crossed his arms and smirked smugly. "You'll wear down eventually."

"Kaiba, I'm glad you're confident, but sometimes it makes ya look like a jerk." The blond turned to grab a paper towel. "Ya made it clear when ya first approached me just what ya thought of me and I'm not interested in just a fling."

The brunet hummed quietly. "And just what do I think of you?"

"Not much." Joey scowled. "Ya treated me like a whore."

"Yes, and I apologized for that. I _continue_ to apologize for that." The older boy frowned. "Are you going to hold that against me forever?"

The blond turned to give him a glare. "I'm tryin'."

"Ah." Seto tilted his head a little. "…You smell nice today."

Joey blushed at that and turned his gaze away quickly. Since he'd realized he found the brunet attractive, he'd been careful to avoid getting too close to him for fear that any pheromones he gave off would drive the older boy to do something he wouldn't under normal circumstances. He'd been careless today.

"…Thanks, I guess."

The brunet frowned and grabbed his wrist as he tried to pass. "…No, I mean, _really_ good."

"Ah!" The younger boy gasped as the brunet tugged him up against his body, trembling a little as his body welcomed the contact with a pleasant shudder. "Kaiba-!" He gasped again when the human nuzzled his neck and bit his bottom lip as his hips shook. "Please—No—" He squirmed as much as his body would allow when it so badly needed someone else's touch.

Seto took in his scent slowly, inhaling the sweetness emanating from him, then let out a quiet moan. "You're sexy, you know that?"

"Nn…!" Joey tilted his head back and sighed quietly, then let out a startled yelp and jerked away, turning to face the brunet quickly. "W-what are ya tryin' t' pull, Kaiba!"

The older boy blinked in confusion, frowning, then scowled. "Me? You were the one that started shaking!" His scowl faded again in concern. "I noticed you were hot, too. Are you okay? Do you have a fever?" He paused thoughtfully, then hesitantly asked, "Would you like a ride home?"

The blond blushed, eyes widening at what seemed like genuine concern for his wellbeing. "I…"

But then he remembered that his powers were still at work. Seto didn't really care. He was just hoping to get in good with him so that he'd have a better chance of getting into his pants.

Tears filling his eyes, Joey jerked his head away, angry with himself for even thinking the brunet might actually care about him. "Like you care! Now if you're finished molestin' me, I gotta go!"

Seto scowled and grabbed the blond's wrist to drag him back. "What did you just say?"

"I said I gotta go—"

"Before that!" the brunet snarled, turning the blond forcefully and slamming him up against the wall. "What did you say before that?"

Joey squirmed nervously, trying to free his wrist as it was pressed uncomfortably next to his head. "…I-I… I said 'like you care!'" He jerked his body weakly. "Let me go, moneybags—" He let out a startled bleat as he was allowed away from the wall for a second only to be slammed back against it, then looked up at him meekly. "…Kaiba…?"

"How _dare_ you think that I don't care! Do you think I just offer rides to _anyone_ I think is attractive?" Seto glared at him so acidly that the cambion feared he might melt. "Let me assure you that I'm not nearly _that_ shallow, no matter what you may think because I'm a—what is it? A _rich bastard._"

The blond whimpered and turned his head away anxiously. "K-Kaiba-!"

"What? You're uncomfortable because you don't have a chance to run away after you insult me now?" The brunet narrowed his eyes at the younger boy. "Well? Where are your insults now, Joey?"

Joey mewed helplessly as his body began to burn with desire, much more intense than usual, and that frightened him; he'd never felt so aroused by someone, and having the brunet's body against his—no matter how threatening—was somehow making him feel safe enough that he could relax and let his 'sex-fiend' side come forward a little more without being taken advantage of. "K-Kaiba!"

Seto frowned in concern as he felt the blond's skin beneath his hand heat up even more. "…Joey? Are you okay?"

"Nn…!" The blond let out a confused sob and used his free hand to claw at the older boy's pants. "Kaiba! Seto! Do me! Do me right here, please!" He tilted his head back to groan quietly as the brunet grabbed his hips, expecting to be ravished without a qualm. He grew even more confused when he was lifted to sit on the counter, so he loosed another little 'mew' that he'd been told could make the most frigid person drop everything and jump him.

Instead, the CEO brushed his hair out of his face carefully, then wet a paper towel with cool water to begin gently dabbing at his face. "Weird… Maybe you've come down with that flu that everyone is catching…"

Joey blinked up at him slowly, still trying to figure out what had happened. He knew the other boy wanted his body, wanted to use him, and yet he hadn't, even when he'd asked him to. He was still giving off pheromones like crazy—the brunet's flaring nose on each inhale and the dilated pupils showed it—so he should have been jumped and sexed right into next week. So why-?

"You're burning up, Joey. I should take you home." Seto frowned. "Can you tell me your address?"

"Nn…!" The blond groaned in complaint and let his eyes roll back a little. The last time he'd gotten this hot, he'd stayed hot until he found release. How could he explain that without the older boy giving him a look clearly stating how stupid he sounded?

"…Hmm." The brunet rolled his eyes and sighed, feigning a hassled expression despite the anxiety he felt over the younger boy's mysterious condition. "I guess I can take you back to my place. It's not as if we don't have enough guest rooms. Do you—shit!" He stiffened as the blond's legs hooked over his hips and tugged him closer, pressed flush against the counter. "Joey-! What are you doing?"

"I just need ya t' do me or let me touch myself and I'll be _fine!_" the cambion gasped, grabbing the lapels of the brunet's jacket and tugging on them desperately. "_Please!_ God, it's not that hard-!"

Prying the blond's hands from his jacket, the brunet sighed and rolled his eyes. "Obviously, this fever has driven you insane. Just sit tight and I'll see about getting you some medical atten—"

Joey clamped onto the brunet's jacket again, glaring at him so angrily that the older boy was almost afraid he was going to be hit. "_Don't you dare take me to a hospital and don't you dare have a doctor come look at me!_"

"Okay, fine!" Once that was said, however, Seto watched the blond fall limp against the wall weakly, chest heaving as his body trembled. "…Are you sure?" The younger boy shot him another dirty look. "Alright, alright." Sighing, the brunet pulled the younger boy into his arms and somehow managed to grab both his briefcase and the other boy's old bag, then turned to go to the door.

He gave himself a mental pat on the back when he made it out to the limo without dropping their bags, accidentally hitting the blond on something, or pitching them both down the stairs.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey moaned helplessly and slid his hand down to the button of his pants, then let out a frustrated groan as his hand was batted away. "Kaiba…!"

"I don't understand how you're not dead." Seto frowned and examined the thermometer that he'd pulled from the blond's mouth again. "Most people will have brain damage at a hundred and four."

"Kaiba. Have you forgotten. What. I am," the younger boy ground out, glaring at him. "I am. A cambion."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "So this is normal for you."

"God, Kaiba, just let me jerk myself off and I'll be fine!" the blond wailed. "If you're not gonna help me then let me get myself off!"

Seto paused thoughtfully, then smirked. "You expected me to jump you the moment you asked me to, didn't you?"

Joey whimpered and squirmed. "Yes…!"

"Shouldn't that attest to the fact that I'm not just after you for sex, then? I _do_ want you because I find you interesting and want to learn more about you?" the brunet asked, leaning closer. When the younger boy blinked up at him unsurely, his smirk grew. "I'll make a deal with you, puppy. I'll help you get off… _if_ you agree to go on… _three_ dates with me."

The blond squirmed and shot him a dirty look. "I could just get myself off-!" He mewed in complaint as the older boy easily batted his hands away from his pants again. "…Why 're ya doin' this t' me? Why 're ya so determined t' date me when all ya wanted was t' use me in the beginnin'?" he asked helplessly.

Seto frowned at that. "Because I've learned that despite your allure, you're just a regular person. I'd like to get to know you."

"Nn-! Nn! And ya gotta blackmail me t' do it!" Joey closed his eyes tightly and jerked his hips up. "God! Yes! Fine! Just help me! I'll date ya! Just help me!"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to _force_ you," the brunet murmured, and smirked when the younger boy gave him a dirty look. "Say it."

The cambion wiggled his hips and wailed, "I'll date ya if ya get me off I'm sure just do it already!"

That was all the information the brunet needed, apparently, because a moment later, Joey felt his pants being unzipped and pulled off his hips. He couldn't help a sigh of relief.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto chuckled and lifted his hand to brush the blond's hair out of his face. "So, where do you want to go for our first date?"

"Ngh…" The cambion blushed as he watched the brunet begin to lick his chest again. "…I like curry and rice."

"Hmm. Alright. I'll take you out to dinner, and maybe we can go for a walk in the park later." Seto smiled up at him for a moment. "Does that sound okay?"

"…I-I guess. As long… as long as ya don't expect me t' come home with ya so you can—How did ya fight off my powers, anyway? No one's been able to yet…"

The brunet scowled. "I've been trained to have iron control over my emotions, Joey. I may have _wanted_ to jump you, but I didn't allow myself to. And I won't take you out and expect to bring you home for sex when you've just barely allowed me to date you at all. Alright? Just trust me for this."

Joey frowned for a few minutes, then slowly nodded his head. "Yes. Okay. I'll trust you."

At that, Seto had to smile again. "Thank you. I'll make sure not to betray your trust."


	10. Shipwreck

Author's Note: This idea was suggested SeventeenTwelve! I hope it's okay. Seto's a little more… evil… in this one. Well, evil isn't the word I want to use, but I don't know what the word I _do_ want to use is. In any case, Seto is not as comical or fluffy as he usually is in my stories, so you are warned.

Shipwreck

"…So what did he do to piss Poseidon off again?" Joey asked, frowning.

Mai rolled her eyes. "He just _exists._ He hasn't been thanking the gods properly, _especially_ Poseidon."

"…So his whole crew has to suffer for his faults?"

"_Yes,_ Joey, just sink the whole ship!" she snapped, glaring at him.

The younger boy scowled and crossed his arms. "You're so bossy. I liked you better when you _weren't_ sleeping with him. Eek!" He jerked his gaze upward as he heard abrupt thunder. "I mean you're so much nicer that you're sleeping with Poseidon! And did I mention I would _love_ to sink that ship!"

Mai's eyes narrowed. "…That's what I _thought._ The ship is going to come through your waters in a few hours, so be ready. And _don't_ go saving anyone; if they live, they live, and if they drown, they drown. Alright?"

"Alright," the smaller blond replied meekly. He let out a relieved sigh as she finally left, then frowned.

He didn't really want to crash the ship coming through his waters. He usually liked to make sure they had safe passage, so that there was no bad blood between him and humans. But, if he didn't want trouble with Poseidon or any of the other gods… he had to do what was asked of him. Even if it meant sinking a ship full of innocent humans.

If he had more power, he'd never have to bend to other people's whims! He'd be able to boss other people around then!

…It was too bad he had no way of gaining power, though.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sighed sadly as he watched some remnants of the ship drifting to the bottom of his part of the ocean. He'd wanted nothing more than to rescue all of the screaming humans, settle his waters so they could get safely to shore, but he didn't want either Poseidon or Mai to come and punish him for disobeying. He'd just had to sit tight and wait for the ship to sink.

At least Poseidon had taken pity on him and swept most of the bodies away, so he didn't have to keep looking at them.

All that was left was for him to take the few bodies the god hadn't swept away to shore. He sighed and looked up at the surface of his waters, taking his more human form as he swam upward. He wondered how many families he'd hurt, how many he had doomed because the heads of the family had been drowned.

He hoped their families would understand that he'd had no choice.

"Oh-!" Joey gasped as he found a brunet clinging tightly to a younger boy with black hair, both the child and his free arm slung over a piece of what had been the ship. He'd always admired the way humans cared about each other. It got lonely sometimes, just looking out for himself…

Heart clenching with guilt that he'd had to kill these poor people, he sighed and gently grabbed the piece of wood to tow them both over to the beach. Once on the sand, he laid the two humans out and took a moment to look at them. However, the longer he stared, the more curious he grew. He knew he shouldn't be doing it—he'd always been told that humans weren't worthy of his time—but these humans…

His fingers trembled a little as he reached out to touch the smaller human's hair, wondering if all little boys wore their hair long. It was damp, and dirty from the sand, but other than that, the black hair was soft and sleek. He moved closer to him and trailed his fingers down the human's face, pausing at his soft, round ears. He reached up to compare his own long, fin-like ear, hard and stiff in comparison. Sliding his fingertips to the younger boy's face, his brows furrowed together when he saw little spots across his cheeks that didn't come off when he rubbed them. He leaned closer to better examine them.

The next thing Joey knew, he was being slammed onto his back, a hand around his throat as his attacker straddled his waist. "Gch!"

"Nice try, _nymph,_ but if you thought I'd just allow you to molest my brother, you were sadly mistaken," the brunet hissed, his free hand moving for the knife at his belt.

Joey squirmed wildly, eyes widening in terror, before he quickly turned his head and whimpered pathetically. He knew he wasn't going to die; he could only die if Poseidon wanted him to or if he was cut off from his element. When he saw the gleaming silver pause as the human looked him over, he realized that the brunet must have realized that, too, and was deciding where to torture him first.

He managed a high-pitched squeak as the blade cut into his shoulder, shuddering as he felt his blood trickle onto the wet sand and mentally shrieking for help from anyone that would come. As the knife carved down his arm, he squealed in panic and began to squirm. Forcing himself to calm down when he felt it dig in deeper, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the waters that were his. Then, he _yanked._

He would admit that he'd probably made the wave a little bigger than it had to be, but it did the trick. Once the brunet was distracted with keeping his companion from being swept away, Joey scrambled frantically into the quickly retreating waters, flinching as the salt burned the wound on his shoulder. However, he was safe now, so he could ignore the sting of pain.

A high-pitched screech escaped his throat as he felt something latch onto his ankle tightly, biting in with a crunch that made him whimper pathetically as he was dragged back to the sand—up the damp, dark sand, further to the dry, dusty stuff that separated him from his element. Without touching water of some form, he had no hope of using it to save himself.

Squirming in agony, he already felt his powers draining away as the dry sand stuck to his body, draining away more moisture. "Ngh-! Nn! Ah…!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white, and he turned his head just in time to see a small white lizard with sinister blue eyes curling itself around the brunet's arm. His eyes widened in awe as the winged lizard gave him one last venomous look before shimmering lightly and flattening itself into the human's flesh, looking for all the world like an innocent tattoo; he was certain that it wasn't the magic of Greece that had designed that picture, given the ink life and a will seemingly of its own.

Falling limp pathetically, Joey let out a quiet mewl of pain as his body continued to try and draw moisture to it only to fail, wasting itself until he could barely move on the hot, white grit of the sand. "Nn…" He was dimly aware of a hand gripping his thick hair and lifting him up from the ground a little, but he could do nothing to stop it; in fact, he could barely keep his eyes open. So, he peeked up at the human from beneath his lashes, then let them finally drift closed in defeat.

"Did you think I was just going to let you get away?" the brunet spat, glaring at him. "After what you did to my ship, my crew, my _brother?_ I was under the impression that Nereid were _kind_ and granted sailors _safe passage._"

"Ngh! P-Poseidon…! H-he wanted me t' sink your ship! I didn't have a choice-!" The blond let out a pathetic yelp as he was thrown to the ground again, letting out a despondent whimper as he felt the gritty salt getting into the wound on his ankle. "Ngh!"

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip you apart and kill you myself?" the human growled. "It doesn't even need to be a _good_ reason. Just a reason."

Joey sobbed and turned onto his side, body shaking from the agony of his bitten and broken ankle. "I didn't wanna hurt ya! I just wanted t' give your ships safe passage, but Poseidon told me t' sink your ship, not t' save anyone! I wanted to, but Poseidon could kill me if I didn't do what he said!" He sobbed again. "Please, let me go! I was just doing what I was told!"

"That doesn't explain why you were molesting my little brother!" the brunet roared, and the poor nymph saw the magical ink on his bare arm begin to move a little.

He squirmed helplessly. "I wasn't molestin' him! I just wanted t' look at the things on his face 'cause I've never seen them before! You got 'em too!"

"The things on his face-?" The human blinked at him in confusion, startled by this turn of events. He realized the nymph he was torturing was too terrified to lie, but he had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

Joey shuddered; he could feel his body beginning to shut down because of the lack of water, the dry, salty sand sucking any moisture he had left in his body out. "Right… right here-!" He managed to lift his hand to brush his fingers over the bridge of the brunet's nose, but that sapped all of the strength he had left; he couldn't even keep his eyes open any longer!

…He was really going to die, wasn't he?

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto's brows furrowed together in confusion as he lifted his hand to brush the sand the nymph's fingers had left off of his face. He'd been looking at the 'things' on his brother's face? And he had them too? What the hell did—

Was the stupid nymph talking about the dusting of _freckles_ he and his brother shared? He hardly noticed they even _had_ freckles sometimes, they were so light, and this creature was so awed by them that he'd risked his safety to stay and look at them? What the hell!

"Listen, you stupid _nymph,_ I—Nymph?" He frowned in concern when the blond didn't even twitch in response to his venomous tone. He was still angry that the nymph had sunk his ship, but he _did_ realize that, as a direct order from a god, he couldn't really argue, and he'd seemed genuinely sorry… "…Nymph?"

It was then he noticed how dry the blond's skin felt, how papery-white it was. It looked wrong, even for a nymph that was already pale and cold to the touch. Glancing down at the broken and bloodied ankle his dragon had caused, he was horrified to see that even the blood dripping onto the ground was congealing in the wound, the drops that dripped off his foot drying and turning to crimson flakes before they even touched the sand.

He knew that nymphs needed to be near water, but he'd never thought it was _this_ necessary for them! He'd heard of nymphs that had traveled _days_ from their waters, and—could it be because of the wound he'd given him, because he was bleeding?

Convincing himself that he had more questions the Nereid needed to answer instead of actually afraid he'd killed an innocent nymph that hadn't actually wanted anything to do with sinking his ship, Seto hurriedly scooped the blond into his arms and carried him down to the edge of the waves gently lapping at the sand. He set the blond down so the waves gently brushed his feet.

He jumped a little as the blond's body jerked, shuddered, then let out a relieved sigh as he felt the skin beneath his hands gain moisture. "Thank the gods…"

"Who is he? He wasn't on our ship, was he, big brother?"

Seto turned his head and grimaced a little as he found his brother sitting up and looking at him innocently even as he tried to brush some sand from his long black hair. "He's a Nereid."

"Oh. Did we make him angry or something? Did one of the crew forget to pray for safe passage?" Mokuba stood and made his way over to examine the blond, pausing to stare at the nymph's ears. After a moment, he reached out and gently brushed his fingers over the stiff, hard fin-like appendage. "Wow…"

"He said Poseidon told him to sink our ship. I think the gods are angry that we've been exploring other peoples' religions, even finding a home in one of them." The brunet frowned and glanced at the tattoo on his arm—looking for all the world like some innocent ink, though he knew the power hidden within the inks that had dyed his skin. "Perhaps a little prayer to the gods ourselves before we left would have benefited us."

The younger boy looked up at him in surprise, then glanced down at the wound on the nymph's ankle that was dying the water lapping at his feet a light pink color. "…Did you do that, Seto?"

"…I'll admit that my temper may have gotten out of hand," Seto replied, frowning. "In my defense, I'd thought he was molesting you."

The raven-haired teen frowned. "…Molesting me?"

The older boy sighed quietly. "…Yes. But, I guess he was just looking at your freckles, because he'd never seen any before."

Mokuba took a few minutes to examine the nymph's skin, surprised when he realized that the blond indeed did not have any freckles on his pale skin. "…Seto, did you really have to hurt him that badly?"

"I suppose I did go a little overboard trying to protect you," the brunet admitted in a mumble. "Especially since he had no choice." He closed his eyes and sighed again, eyebrow twitching a little when he remembered something a priestess had told him in Egypt and desperately hoping that Mokuba wouldn't remember it, even though—

"…Hey, didn't that priestess foresee you meeting a nymph that would be everything you wanted, Seto?"

Damn.

Sighing quietly, the brunet took a moment to look at the nymph—_really_ look at him. The blond was attractive, he supposed, with pale skin and golden hair and eyelashes. He was thin, with defined musculature that wasn't too bulky. All in all, he was very attractive, now that he looked a little healthier.

Too bad he'd alienated him by attacking him with his dragon.

"…We could always just… take him," Mokuba suggested after a minute. "The priestess gave you that magical charm."

Seto blinked before pulling at the chain still around his neck, pulling the pendant shaped like a dragon wrapped around a sapphire shaped like a drop of water. "…I think I rub off on you more and more every day."

The younger boy smiled innocently. "I just want you to be happy, big brother."

"Even if the nymph isn't?" the brunet drawled, raising an eyebrow at his brother, before turning his gaze back on the nymph. "…Well, he _did_ sink our ship."

Mokuba nodded. "That he did."

"…And I _did_ injure him pretty badly."

"Yes sir."

"…And since I hurt him, I really _should_ take care of him."

"You're damn right."

Seto tilted his head thoughtfully, then smirked in a decidedly wicked manner. "Alright. He's mine. We'll figure out the details later."

"Don't forget to dip the pendant in the water; it's gonna be the only thing keeping him alive," Mokuba reminded, poking his brother's arm playfully. "It would be a shame if he got too far away from his home and suddenly died before you even got a chance to court him."

"Hmm. That _would_ be a problem." The brunet reached out to cup the nymph's cheek, examining him again, then smiled. "By the time he wakes up, we'll be too far away from shore for him to run, unless he wants to deal with satyrs or centaurs attacking him."

The younger boy snorted and stood up. "Yeah. I can understand satyrs attacking him—they attack _all_ nymphs and dryads. Centaurs? They tend to keep to themselves."

"Mostly," Seto agreed, dipping the pendant of his necklace into the water. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the sapphire seem to glow for a moment, as if to memorize the water it was in; so it _was_ more magical than it led on. After keeping it submerged for a few minutes, he lifted it to slip the chain back over his head, then slid one of his arms beneath the blond's knees. "Not all of them, though, Mokie."

"Why? What would they—Oh. _Oh._" Mokuba flinched and shuddered. "Oh, that is _so_ gross."

"Oh, and the idea of a satyr taking advantage of him _isn't?_" the brunet retorted, settling the nymph in his arms more comfortably. "He's better off with us, anyway. I mean, _I_ have no intention of forcing him to sink ships if he doesn't want to."

The smaller human frowned and crossed his arms. "I wonder why Poseidon ordered him to sink our ship, though. I mean, is it because we were _learning_ about other peoples' gods, or because we actually practiced their religions with them? I mean, _you_ even got—"

"I have not prayed to Greek gods in a very long time," Seto admitted, frowning. "Perhaps I should get back into the practice of praying to them." His expression darkened. "But _not_ Poseidon."

"…I think you should pray to him more. I can't imagine he'll take well to the idea of one of his companions being stolen away," the younger boy deadpanned.

The brunet grunted quietly and held the nymph in his arms closer. "I'll think about it. But I also don't think he'll take highly to any reasoning I give him. 'Yes, a woman of a distant and different religion prophesied that I would find a nymph that is my soul mate, and so I just _had_ to steal him away.' Yes, that will go over quite well."

"Well, we'll have plenty of time to think about it as we're walking. I know the nearest town is at _least_ a few miles away."

"…Goodie…" Seto grumbled to himself quietly, then looked down at the blond lying in his arms. He looked so innocent, so unassuming, and he found he suddenly didn't mind the idea of carrying him that distance.

Yes, he had hurt the nymph, and yes, he realized that it would take a lot of time and healing for the blond to ever trust him. However, he felt he could handle the wait; he was a patient man, and the nymph seemed sincere, if not a little overly curious. He wouldn't mind waiting for the nymph to trust him—and if he ever found that he _did_ love the little blond, well… he could wait a little longer for the nymph to decide to love him, too.


	11. Down Below II

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Down Below II

"Ah, Seto! Just the demon I wanted to see! I've been looking for you!"

Seto blinked, frowning, and shifted his weight awkwardly as he tilted his head; he knew he needed to talk to his uncle, but he'd had no idea the man had been actively seeking him. "Um… Why?"

The man tossed his long black hair over his shoulder and smiled, standing up from his desk. "I just found your notice of courtship on my desk! How is that going?"

"…I left it on your desk _months_ ago," the brunet began, brows furrowing together. "I was just coming to turn in my—"

"_Well?_" Matsuhi scowled at him impatiently.

Seto grunted quietly in affront at being cut off. "Well _what?_"

"When am I going to _meet_ this girl?"

The brunet let out a disgruntled snarl. "You didn't read that whole notice at _all,_ did you? Like the details that the human I'm courting is _male_ and isn't quick to allow anyone close to him!"

"…Well, when do I get to meet _him_ then? Your parents are deceased, so you defer to me for permission to officially mate. I want to meet this boy, since I figured you'd die single and I'd have to leave the throne to Mokuba."

Seto frowned and glanced down at the paper in his hands, notifying his uncle that he was going to end his courtship unsuccessfully. After a few moments, though, he moved his hands behind his back, balling the paper up. "When are you free?"

Matsuhi smiled brightly and clasped his hands together. "I was hoping you'd ask! I'm free for dinner tonight!"

"Tonight-!" the brunet sputtered, stunned. "How the fuck am I supposed to get him to come over to dinner tonight!"

His uncle rolled his eyes. "Well he's _your_ boyfriend, Seto; just use a little of your powers to convince him."

"That's entirely unethical and—" Seto sighed in defeat. "…I'll see what I can do."

The king smiled enthusiastically and bounced where he stood. "Fantastic! I'll bring a hostess gift, too! Does he like roses?"

The brunet snarled again. "Hostess-? Don't you dare bring him roses!"

"Wine, then?"

"He doesn't drink and I wouldn't let you give it to him anyway!"

"…A box of chocolates?"

"STOP TRYING TO BRING ROMANTIC GIFTS TO THE PERSON I'M COURTING!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Wheeler."

Joey jumped in surprise and turned sharply. "Ee-! …Kaiba? Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Seto glanced around them slowly. "…You're usually in the cafeteria by now."

"Had t' stay and take a test I missed while I was 'kidnapped.' Why? Do ya need somethin'?" He frowned in concern when he saw a flash of guilt on the brunet's face. "Is somethin' wrong?"

"I…" The demon glanced around again cautiously, then jerked his head toward the bathroom door. "May I speak with you privately?"

"Um… I guess so." Joey followed him into the bathroom and tilted his head as he watched him check for other people before locking the door. "Is it bad? Do I… do I hafta go back down-?"

The brunet let out a small sigh. "I… I need to ask you for a favor."

"Yeah, anything," the blond agreed immediately. "You saved my life."

"…I need you to pretend we're dating," Seto stated haltingly. "I… My uncle's under the impression… He thinks I plan on formally mating with you."

Joey blinked. "…Formally mate with me?"

The brunet rolled his eyes and tried to think of a way to explain it without offending him. "It's… It's like the demon version of marriage. I submitted a notification to him last year explaining that I was going to try and court you, but—"

"You wanna _marry_ me?" the human squeaked, taking a step back.

"No! Well, yes, sort of—That's not the point!" Seto exclaimed, growing frustrated. "The point is that my uncle thinks we're dating and when the King of Hell decides he wants to do something, it's pretty hard to talk him out of it! So I just need you to pretend to be my lover for tonight so he can meet you, and then I'll just try to go from there!"

The blond let out a confused squeak. "_You_ wanna _marry_ me! When did that happen? You've always hated me, and then ya said ya wanted sex with me, and now ya wanna _marry me!_"

"It's not just—Okay, _yes,_ you're attractive, and devoted, and pretty damn feisty considering all you've been through, and I decided you might not be a bad person to mate with! I expressed a desire to _explore_ that conclusion! Okay? It's not like I was going to make you mine whether you wanted it or not!" the demon snarled, brows furrowing together angrily. "I'm sorry I never tried to confide this in you but I sort of knew this is how you'd react so would you _please_ just pretend to be my lover and have dinner with my family tonight so my uncle doesn't set me up with the nearest high-ranking demoness for fear that I'll die all alone?"

Joey took another step back, almost afraid to say no at that point. However, he'd already agreed to help, and this would give him a chance to ask some questions. "Um… O-okay. I guess I don't mind." He couldn't help a little smile when the brunet visibly relaxed. "It's not like we hafta make a _huge_ commitment, right? It's just for appearance's sake."

"Right. Well, come on; the limo's waiting outside for us," Seto replied, shoving his hands in his pockets once he'd unlocked the door.

At that, the blond frowned. "But—Kaiba—I have lunch, and my friends will worry, and it's the middle of the school day—"

"We'll pick up lunch on the way to the mansion, text your friends that you're okay and just couldn't handle all the stares and whispers today, and when have you ever cared about school?"

The human huffed and crossed his arms, even as he ambled out after him. "Think you're _so_ fuckin' smart, doncha, Kaiba?"

"Yes, I do. Starting with that, my uncle will expect you to call me Seto, or some sort of pet name."

"I call ya 'bastard' all the time. Is that a pet name?" Joey asked, hurrying to catch up with the brunet's long strides.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Somehow, I don't think that my uncle would appreciate or understand why my lover would call me 'bastard.'"

The blond huffed again and grumbled, "'Cause ya act like one."

"Actually, considering demon standards, I'm pretty damn nice. Human standards are pretty black and white," the demon explained, then reached back to slide his arm around the blond's shoulders and yank him closer. "Come here."

"Nn!" Joey blushed as he was pulled up against the brunet's side and looked up at him in confusion. "K-Kaiba-?"

"He's going to expect that we've had sex already, or at least done some serious necking, because demons are physical creatures. If my scent isn't all over you, he'll suspect something," he explained, even as he savored the feeling of the smaller boy tucked against his side.

The blond blushed a little more as he snuggled closer to him. "Oh."

He thought about the dreams he'd been haunted by recently ever since Seto had rescued him; dreams of dominance and sex, of flirtation and playful touches. He'd admit that the dreams weren't that bad; he liked the dreams of cuddling with the brunet and being protected by him, and he'd also admit that the erotic dreams were slightly appealing.

At first, he'd figured it was a demon trick, but after accusing Seto of making him have these dreams, he'd only received a blank stare that made him think that maybe it _wasn't_ a demon trick. That was only confirmed when the brunet flatly stated that dreams were manifested from human imaginations and while certain demons and angels could influence them (succubae or cupids, respectively, was his example), regular demons and angels would not touch the human psyche that way because honestly, human imaginations were terrifying and cupids and succubae had extensive training to handle it.

So these dreams were his own. He just… didn't understand why he was having them now. Perhaps he was guilty for turning Seto down, or was curious as to what being with him _might_ have been like. He knew that Seto was still interested now, though, and he could consider this 'favor' as a test experience, to figure out whether or not being Seto's _actual_ boyfriend would be too bad. Besides, the brunet had been nothing but civil to him since he'd saved him, so he knew he couldn't be too terrible.

Well, he'd just have to wait and see. After all, if the brunet's uncle was _too_ crazy, he'd probably be hesitant to try a real relationship.

That brought up something else that could be very important.

Gasping, he looked up at the brunet in apprehension. "Your uncle is the King of Hell? Kaiba! What am I s'posed t' wear!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Now, these are the most likely questions he'll ask, and a few of the less likely ones. Memorize the answers as I try to find something that might be suitable for you to wear…" Seto leaned in to nuzzle the blond's throat and pressed a kiss to his jaw before getting up and walking toward his closet.

Joey blushed and trailed his fingers over the spot he'd been kissed. Seto had been doing that a lot, touching him and kissing him—had even made him sit on his lap in the limo! He knew that it was so he could get Seto's 'scent' on him, but he suspected there was more to it than that. Hearing the brunet grunt, he turned and looked at him in surprise, only to blush even more when he saw nothing but the demon's leather-clad ass.

…He had a really, _really_ nice ass.

Gasping in embarrassment at his own thoughts, he quickly looked down at the paper he'd been given. They were basic questions, really, like Seto's favorite colors and what he liked to do in his spare time. He couldn't help a little giggle when he saw the question 'what does Seto like most about you' and read the hastily scribbled answer of _'Every damn thing about him but especially his eyes.'_

When he got to the bottom, however, his blush quickly returned. "K-K—Seto? Why would your uncle ask me what your most sensitive spot to be touched is?"

"Since demons only have one—_ow!_—Since male demons only have one spot that can make them orgasm besides their dicks or prostates, he'll check that we're actually intimate; it's basically to check that we're actually together and touch each other, since it's usually against the rules to just tell others what that spot is because it's so private."

Joey blinked at him in confusion. "…But you're just tellin' me…"

Seto stood up straight to turn and scowl at him, horns and tail sliding out in his agitation. "Screw the rules; I have money. And when money doesn't work, I can just damn the shit out of people."

"Snck!" The blond snorted and lifted a hand to cover his mouth. "I don't think ya can just damn yer uncle, K—Seto!"

"I'll damn him if I want. Damn, damn, damn. He deserves damning, the nosy son of a…" the demon grumbled, turning back to his closet.

Joey smiled and tugged at his hair unconsciously. "You and your family have really weird ways of interactin', don't ya?"

"Yes. 'Demon' and 'dysfunctional' both start with the letter 'D.' _Ow!_ What the hell is this even doing in here!"

The blond jumped a little as the demon tossed something out of his closet, eyeing the trident nervously. "What's that for?"

"It's for Mokuba. It was Dad's, and even though it's supposed to go to the oldest child, I prefer to torture people with my hands, not magic. But he's not old enough to have it, yet. FUCKING HELL, REALLY!" Seto snarled and flailed wildly, dislodging different articles of clothing from the closet to fall on the floor. "My uncle will be here in four hours and my clothes are attacking me!"

Joey slid off the bed and walked over to touch his back. "Seto, calm down. Hee-!" He coughed to cover up another giggle as the brunet stood up straight, a shirt dangling from one of his horns. Ignoring the red glint in his blue eyes signaling danger, the human reached up and gently pulled the shirt off his horn, remembering how sensitive it was. "Here, listen; I like the color green and I don't like anything too fancy. Don't get yourself so worked up, okay?"

"I'll get worked up if I damn well want to-!" Seto stiffened as he felt the blond's fingers drift gently over his left horn, then wrapped his arms around the blond and went limp, dragging him to the ground as he pushed his horn closer to his hand. "Nhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"

The human blushed a little and smiled, rubbing it gently, then slid his hand down to cup the brunet's cheek. "Seto? I like that you can flip out and worry about things, but I think I prefer ya bein' calm and thinkin' things out."

"Hmm." The brunet blinked at him slowly, eyes still glazed with pleasure, before he pulled him closer and nuzzled his shoulder. "You want to know the real reason I wanted to court you at first?"

Joey shrugged a little, watching the brunet's tail twitch. "Oh, sure."

"You're the first person I've actually seen that made my heart speed up. I'm sure that's just because we were arguing at the time, but… I noticed you were really pretty, and you argued with me despite the fact that you could sense I was dangerous. I liked that about you." Seto abruptly sat up and looked into his closet. "So that's how it goes. You said you liked green?"

"Uh… yeah." The human stood once the brunet released him and bit his bottom lip. For some reason, hearing the demon explain how he found him attractive made him happy.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So you must be Jody!"

Joey's smile faded a little as the man shook his hand. "It's Joey."

"Right! Of course!" Matsuhi laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "I was just testing you!"

"…With my own name?"

Before his uncle could embarrass his brother further, Mokuba leapt on him. "Uncle Matsuhi!"

"Mokuba!"

"…He got my name wrong!" Joey hissed while he was distracted.

Seto let out a rumble of annoyance. "Sorry. I think he's being difficult on purpose." He paused thoughtfully, then grabbed the blond's hips and held him close to his body. "If you don't want to deal with him, I'm perfectly willing to throw him out."

"Somehow, I don't think he'd appreciate that," the blond mumbled, rolling his eyes, then turned to face the new demon. He blushed as a bouquet of roses was held out to him. "Eh?"

"A hostess gift," Matsuhi stated by way of explanation. "It would be rude of me to not bring one, as I'm making you go out of your way."

"Oh." The human accepted the bouquet, blinking at it for a moment, then let out a snarl and began beating him with it. "Don't! You! Call! Me! A! Hostess! Again!"

"Blargh!"

"You're not my boyfriend, either, so don't give me roses! Don't think that just because I'm human that I'll take everything lying down!"

Seto blinked as the younger boy huffed, then stormed into the dining room. "Um… So, that was the human I've been courting."

Matsuhi put a hand over his heart and looked up at him in disbelief. "Are you sure he's completely human? Because he sure as hell doesn't act like one!"

"Erm… he's never actually been one to think about the consequences." The brunet frowned and tried to figure out how to explain. "…I think… it doesn't matter who you are. If you insult him, he's still going to hit you, whether you're the King of Hell or not."

"…He hit me with his hostess gift!" the older demon exclaimed, looking extremely put out.

Seto glared at him. "Well, first of all, I told you not to bring romantic gifts to the human I'm courting. Secondly, you called him a fucking hostess and you got his name wrong—with a _girl's_name, no less! What the hell else was he supposed to do, spontaneously change gender to fit your psychotic whims?"

Matsuhi sniffed indignantly as he placed his hands on his hips. "I expected him to politely correct me!"

Before the brunet could get angry and snarl, Mokuba cut in, deadpanning, "There is nothing _polite_ about Joey."

Joey stuck his head out of the dining room when he realized the demon family hadn't followed him, scowling. "Well, are we eatin' or not? Your chefs went t' all the trouble of makin' this huge meal and we can't insult 'em by not eatin' it!"

"I'm sure you could eat the whole feast yourself," Seto replied dryly, but turned and began into the dining room anyway.

The blond growled in annoyance and reached up to poke his horn in a decidedly less-than-gentle manner. As the older boy let out a startled, pained roar and clutched his horn, giving him the most confused and dirtiest look possible, the human growled, "You're lucky you're cute." Then, he turned and stalked back into the dining room.

"…You rotten little _bitch!_" Seto snarled, then charged in after him.

Matsuhi and Mokuba flinched as they heard the sound of dishes breaking among angry screeches and snarls. Finally, though, the demon king turned toward his nephew, grimacing. "I hate to say this, but… I think I'm scared of the human your brother is courting."

"I think _Seto_ is scared of the human he's courting, sometimes," Mokuba replied, crossing his arms. "Well, Seto always _did_ have weird taste, and he's always _said_ he wants a mate that will stand up to him."

Abruptly, the sound of breaking dishes and screams stopped. The two demons paused, then cautiously moved toward the door to peek inside.

Mokuba blushed as he saw Seto kissing the human savagely, tail lashing back and forth in what could only be pleasure as he pinned the blond onto the messy table with his wrists above his head. Joey… didn't really look like he minded, if his legs tightly wrapped around the brunet's waist were any indication—especially when he could see him kissing back just as fiercely.

All of the food that had been carefully prepared for them was either scattered across the floor or table or decorating the two people mindlessly kissing each other.

"…You should take me out to dinner," Mokuba stated after a moment. "And we can reschedule when you can meet Joey."

"…I think I'm free a few years from now. Yes. Definitely at least eighteen months, if not a couple of years," Matsuhi muttered, shuddering a little as he remembered his floral beat down. "Do you want Chinese or Italian?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mn-! Mn! _Mm!_" Joey moaned helplessly as the brunet began humping against him, hips shaking as they were slammed into the table again and again. Gripping his hands into fists when he realized the demon was still holding his wrists down against the table, he nipped the older boy's tongue defiantly.

Seto growled dominantly as he broke the kiss to instead begin biting and sucking on his throat. "_Mine._"

"I'm not—ha! K-Kaiba!" The blond squirmed and arched his back with a throaty groan. "Kaibaaaa!"

He gasped as he felt the brunet's teeth close down a little harder and froze, eyes widening in horror when the sharp teeth punctured his skin. He whimpered quietly, afraid to move as the demon on top of him suckled and licked the wound he'd made, then slowly—hesitantly—arched his neck into his mouth.

Seto snarled his approval at his submission, still rubbing up against him. Smirking at the confused, frightened, and desperate mewl he heard, he released the human's neck with a slurp and growled. _**"You're mine, puppy."**_

Joey didn't know what he'd said—he assumed the brunet had reverted back to some archaic, demonic-sounding language—but he did know that he suddenly wanted to do anything the brunet told him to. "_Seto!_"

The demon shuddered in pleasure at the frantic call of his name and let out a pleased roar. He slumped on top of the blond and nuzzled his throat, smearing a little of the blood still trickling out across his cheeks. "Mmmm…"

"Ah… Ah…!" The blond squirmed, shivering anxiously as the older boy settled against him more firmly. "Kaiba…" He flinched as the demon's eyes shot up to his face, more red than the blue he was used to. "…Seto… I…" He gasped quietly as the brunet suddenly reared off of him, eyes widening when the brunet turned and slammed his fist into the table. "Kaiba-!"

"Damn it! I never _asked_ you to kiss me!" Seto snarled, turning to glare at him. "You said you weren't interested in sex _or_ a relationship, you agreed to this just to keep my uncle from tormenting me with girls, so _why_ did you kiss me?"

Joey shrank back unconsciously. After a moment of thought, with a small, unsure voice, he replied, "I was just angry, and… I didn't know what else t' do." He flinched when the brunet growled in annoyance. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you—"

"_This_ is why I didn't know how to court you. _This_ is why I was glad that you'd fight back if I ever did," the demon growled, pointing at the blond's wounded neck. "I'm a _demon,_ Joey. I could hurt you without even meaning to; I _like_ to hurt people and I _like_ having them at my mercy. When you kissed me, my demon side took that as permission to do whatever I wanted; it was only my human side that kept me from tearing your pants off and fucking you into the table.

"I'm _dangerous._ I could have _hurt_ you. Why are you kissing me when you previously had _no_ interest in being anything more than an acquaintance to me?"

Joey flinched again. "I-I… I was just wonderin'… I've been thinkin'… And…"

Seto snarled again, throwing his hands up in frustration. "What? You've been thinking what? That you want to _die?_ That you want me to accidentally hurt you because you're starting things that my demon side will _want_ to finish whether you get cold feet or not. Because let me assure you, Joey, that I _will_ finish whatever you start, whether you beg for me to stop and no matter how much I'll want to."

"Is that why ya didn't try harder t' court me? 'Cause you're worried I'll chicken out halfway through somethin' and ya won't be able t' stop?" The blond frowned and lifted a hand to his neck. "…I'll admit that you're scary, but… I don't think you'd ever hurt me like that. _I_ have faith in ya."

The brunet huffed. "How can you have faith in me when I don't even have faith in myself?"

"…Because you're afraid you'll hurt me." The human hesitated before scooting over the table to lay his head on the brunet's shoulder. "And that means ya care."

"…" Seto frowned, then turned and pulled the blond into his arms. "So you want to try dating me? For real now?"

"Yeah. I've been thinkin' about it or a while now—ever since ya saved me down Below." Joey smiled a little as he felt the brunet gently nuzzling his shoulder. "We'll just hafta move a little slower. I liked what we just did, but I don't think I'm ready for that big of a commitment until I'm _sure_ what sort of family I might be… '_mating_' into." Gasping quietly, he sat up straight. "Oh! Your uncle! And Mokuba!"

The brunet snorted and rolled his eyes. "They're gone. I sensed them leaving. They're probably getting something to eat since…" He glanced around at the ruined meal. "…Hmm. Well, they've probably gone out for Italian."

The human blushed looked down at his lap. "Ah… I'm sorry… I don't know what it was that made me lose my temper…"

"Probably demonic influence; you'd never notice since I stifle my aura and Mokuba's too young to completely hold his back, and my uncle obviously has an iron grip on his own aura, but when we're all together, the amount of demonic aura you're exposed to increases exponentially. You'll notice you don't feel agitated right now." Seto cupped his cheek and smiled a little. "Maybe a little easier to annoy, but not as angry as you got earlier."

"…Oh…" Joey blushed a little more. "I-I didn't mean t' hit your uncle with roses. 'nd I hope that doesn't mess with my karma or anything…"

"I'll vouch for you. Personally, I think it'll add to your good karma." The brunet tilted his head and hummed quietly, brushing his thumb over the younger boy's bottom lip. "…You were really sexy when you were yelling at me, though."

"…I-I'm glad you think—_so!_" The blond bleated in surprise as he was pulled up against the demon's body. "Kaiba!"

Seto paused, looking unsure of himself for a moment, before quietly asking, "So you're allowing me to court you, then? It doesn't necessarily have to end in formally mating—marriage—but I'd really like to get to know you better."

Joey tilted his head a little, surprised at the sudden hesitance, then smiled shyly. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind, as long as ya don't rush me into anything. And we hafta start small. No more of these surprise dinners with the family, okay?"

"…Okay." The brunet smiled again. "Okay. Friday at six, then?"

"Sounds good t' me." The blond shifted his body uncomfortably. "…Um… I think… we both need t' shower. We're covered in food."

Seto blinked and leaned back to look down at his pants. "…Hmm. You're probably right. Do you want to change back into your uniform, or would you like to steal that red sweater I saw you eyeing when we were putting my closet back to rights?"

Joey blushed again. "I-I don't know what the hell you're talkin' about-!"

"I never wear it, if that's what you're worried about," the brunet added.

"…I want your sweater," the younger boy admitted miserably, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment when he heard the brunet chuckle. "Shut up! It looked comfy!"

"It should; it's cashmere."

"I don't know what that is but wipe that smug smile off your face, bastard!"


	12. Sacrifice

Author's Note: This is much darker than previous fics. Be prepared. :|

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Sacrifice

Seto grumbled. His sacrifice was _late._

The nearest village had made a deal with him, offering to appease him with one virgin a year so he wouldn't eat anyone else. He'd obliged, sticking to fish and other prey, but now his sacrifice was _late._ He gave the sacrifice five more minutes, and then he'd consider the agreement with the village null and void. …Then again, now that he thought about it, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing…

Snorting when he heard a rustling in the nearby bushes, he turned to face what _had_ to be his sacrifice. He hoped it was a blond, or a redhead. They had a better flavor, and they usually screamed louder as he devoured them. And perhaps one that wasn't so low-class, either; the muscle they gained from manual labor made them stringy, and he _did_ enjoy tender flesh once in a while—

WHAT WAS _THIS!_

Seto snorted again in confusion as a blond hesitantly stepped out in front of him, looking nervous but resigned.

He had never had a _male_ virgin before! What, did the freaking village suddenly stop having baby girls, or did they all turn into whores so there _were_ no virgin girls? Stupid _humans_ and their stupid _trickiness._ He _knew_ he should have specified _female_ virgins! MALES WEREN'T AS TASTY!

The blond flinched as he stomped a hoof in his agitation and took a step back. "I-I know… I know the village always sends girls, but… but she's my little sister. I couldn't… I couldn't just let her go. She's so young, and she has so much life in her, I… Will ya please accept me in her place?"

Seto tilted his head. Hmm. An older brother. He could accept his reasoning, then, considering he had his own little brother that he had to protect. Perhaps protect him more actively than another kelpie might, too—his little brother was a vegetarian. He stuck to fish or seaweed; he didn't have the same taste for humans that he did.

Well, now was the waiting game. He'd wait for the human to run (like they _always_ did), and he'd chase him down, and then he'd drag him underwater and devour him. That's how the cycle always went.

He was surprised, then, when the human took a hesitant step toward him. Narrowing his eyes as the biped came closer, he let out a sharp whinny that made the blond let out a frightened screech and reel backwards. Seto caught his shirt to keep him from falling. He hated bruised food, and humans could bruise like peaches—or so he'd been told; he'd never actually eaten a peach before.

He grunted in surprise as the human's arms wrapped around his neck, fingers digging into his dripping mane. _'What the—what? What is it __**doing?**__'_ The human was nuzzling his neck! Now, he'd admit he was gorgeous (what kelpie _wasn't?_), but he'd never had a human willingly come up and touch him before! He was used to awed, silent stares, gaping mouths, but never—never being _touched!_

…Would he catch whatever insanity-disease this human had by eating it?

"You're really beautiful," the blond whispered after a moment, fingers combing through his mane in a way the stallion was embarrassed to admit felt really good. "I've never seen a horse as beautiful as you—and no one else that's alive has ever seen you before, either, huh? People always describe ya as some awful monster, but they've obviously never seen ya then, 'cause you're beautiful."

Seto rumbled in embarrassment. He could preen under compliments from mares and such, even accept the backhanded sort from rivals with grace, but this human was making him flustered and confused and—and—he almost didn't want to eat it!

Snorting in surprise when the blond's hands cupped his cheeks, the stallion blinked as the human looked up at him with a sad smile. "Couldja… Couldja please make it quick? I know kelpies don't care how their victims feel, but… I'd like t' die thinkin' yer beautiful instead o' some kind of monster."

Oh, faeries-elves-and-damned! How was he supposed to eat it _now?_

Seto let out a disgusted snort before he let out another sharp neigh, rearing up on his back hooves and knocking the blond to the ground. He stamped his front hooves down angrily around the human's body, let frustrated grunts and whinnies escaping his throat, before the edge of his hoof skimmed the blond's skull.

It was enough to knock him out cold. Seto assumed he'd wake up feeling as if his head had been stomped flat, but for now, he just needed the human unconscious. _'If humans weren't so fucking delicious, I'd wash my hooves of them completely.'_

The kelpie rumbled in annoyance before shifting slowly into his human form, Seto took a moment to let his mind acclimate to the new body before he reached out to gently grasp the blond's shoulders and sat him up. He took a moment to feel the damage his hoof had caused with his fingers, then hummed quietly as he glanced down at the boy's body.

Well, he'd admit that the human had his own sort of beauty. He was thin, but not grossly skinny, and muscular without bulk. His hair, long in a way he'd never seen on a male, was messy but clean. He examined the long eyelashes fanning against his cheeks and smiled a little before his eyes landed on the pale lips. The blond's lips were full, and felt like petals beneath his finger tips; the bottom lip jutted out just a little in a natural pout. It was looking at those lips that made the kelpie realize what he wanted.

Seto wanted him. This strange human that would call him beautiful despite knowing that he could willingly chomp him to bits, or stamp him into mush—he wanted the blond to call him beautiful in his home, between breathless cries of appreciation as he was rutted against a wall or fucked into the sandy floor. He wanted to see the human squall and sob as he tortured him with his touch. He wanted the blond to adore him, to love him and offer himself to him body, heart, and soul.

He was torn between calling the human a lover, a slave, or a pet. But most of all, he was torn between defiling the blond swiftly or drawing it out until he was begged for release.

Leaning down, he let out a long, low breath of fog over the blond's face, enabling him to handle life underwater; the cold would not affect him like it would for a regular human, and he'd be able to breathe underwater. That was all he needed to make the blond his chose mare.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Nngh…" Joey shuddered a little as he felt himself being set on something cool and soft, then hesitantly blinked his eyes open despite the ache threatening to split his skull in half. "Wha…" He frowned in confusion as he saw intense blue eyes, brows furrowing together a little.

"I see you're awake, little human." The brunet gently stroked his cheek with his thumb. "You're the first human that's ever appreciated my beauty."

"Nn?" The human blinked, perplexed, as he took in the brunet's body; he still held the same aura as the kelpie, but he had a human form now. How had that-?

The brunet grinned wickedly. "I've decided that _you_ are going to be my prize mare. Not only am I _now_ going to devour you, but I'm going to pamper you—and I'm going to _fuck_ you. I'm going to fuck you so hard that you'll have no choice but to _accept_ your place as my prize mare and allow yourself to be pampered. Because let me assure you, my human form is just as well-endowed as my horse form."

Joey blinked at him again, mind still reeling. However, all he'd been told suddenly made sense when the brunet settled between his spread legs. "Wha-! No! I can't—ya shouldn't—agh! U-uhn!"

"I took the liberty of stretching you while you were unconscious. You were out for quite some time." The kelpie-turned-human smirked. "You begged for more from me even when you were unconscious."

The blond whimpered and turned his head away in shame "Uhn! No! Please—I don't wanna—_Ha!_" He blushed brightly as the brunet spread his legs further. "No, please—I-I don't—You'll rip me apart-!"

"Trust me," the brunet cooed. "I spent a long while stretching you, so if you just keep from tensing up—"

"You're gonna put that big _thing_ in me and I'm gonna break apart!" Joey wailed, squirming desperately. "Let me go! Let me go! Please! Let me go!"

The kelpie narrowed his eyes and grunted in annoyance. "You'd _really_ prefer me eating you than taking your virginity?" When the blond frantically nodded, he sighed and rolled his eyes, then snapped his hand up to grip the human's chin tightly. "Look at me."

The blond whimpered and looked up at him hesitantly, shivering as the tight grip on his chin forced eye contact. "…Nn…?"

"Since you're so adamant about me eating you, I want you to know my name." When the human only blinked up at him, he let out a rumble of annoyance; the blond had no idea how _coy_ he looked, how absolutely innocent he seemed when he looked up at him—and how much he, as a being that slaughtered humans without a care, wanted to _defile_ that innocence until he screamed for mercy. "My name is Seto. I want that to be what you scream as I eat you."

"Why, why should I-_Kyaaa!_"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto growled and slid up the human's body slowly, taking time to touch and stroke his body, not even trying to be gentle. "…And _that,_ dear human, is how I'm going to _continue_ to eat you until I tire of you and devour your _entire_ body."

"Nn! No!" The blond twitched weakly, whimpering as the kelpie's fingers dug deeper into his flesh. "Why! Why me!"

"Because you're _pretty._ I _like_ pretty things. I _especially_ like pretty things that appreciate _my_ beauty." The kelpie grinned as the blond shuddered and gasped in both pleasure and pain. "Expect me to eat other parts of you first. In fact… soon. Soon, I'll eat you back _here,_" he added, grabbing one of the blond's soft ass cheeks.

Joey arched his back with a startled squeak. "Seto-!"

"My tongue is longer than a human's. You'll enjoy it."

"Uh!" Falling limp as the kelpie finally pulled away from him, the blond whimpered and turned onto his side, trying to hide from his glowing eyes. "Please don't-!"

Seto let out an annoyed snarl. "You gave yourself to me in place of your sister. I can do anything I like with you—and you will _accept_ everything I do to you, even if it means that you get hurt. You wouldn't want me to devour you, consider my deal with your village broken, and then go slaughtering your village, would you?"

Joey flinched at the thought. "…No."

"Good. Then expect me to 'eat' you later."

The blond bleated in surprise and jumped as he felt a sharp slap on his ass, then whimpered and turned to watch the kelpie walk over to the pool of water at the edge of the cave he was in. The brunet shifted into his equine form, took a moment to look back at him, then sank beneath the water.

Joey waited for a few minutes, in case he came back, then turned and shoved his face into one of the fluffy pillows. Then, he began to cry.


	13. Featherbrain II

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

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Featherbrain II

Seto frowned as he found some feathers scattered across the floor, then walked over to the door leading to the balcony attached to his room. Peering out at the blond perched on the railing, he took a moment to admire the way his hair and skin glowed in the setting sun; he always looked the most beautiful when he was alone and relaxed, in the light of the sun. He smiled a little when the griffin hybrid tilted his head back, his long hair brushing his skin lightly. He'd been growing it out, and they'd both been surprised to find his feathers extended down his mane, still sensitive, but also more beautiful.

His smile faded when he remembered how distant the blond had been lately. Joey had only spoken to him when first addressed, and he never talked for long, which was different for the usually babbling blond. It worried him, but he had to admit that he'd been expecting it.

Joey would get tired of him after a while, having only a demigod to talk to. He'd long for contact from other people, despite how he'd been treated in the past and how those people would probably continue to treat him—like trash. He'd expected this time to come, and now he just had to face it, no matter how much he had come to… care… about the half-breed.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Seto stepped out onto the balcony and slid his arms around the blond's waist, nuzzling into his thick mane of hair. "You're beautiful in the sunlight."

"Hmm…" Joey leaned his head back on the brunet's shoulder.

The demigod frowned. He usually would have gotten more in response. …So Joey _was_ distancing himself from him. Sighing, he gave the blond's thin waist (stouter now that he was fed regularly, but still a little too thin for the brunet's taste) a little squeeze, then brushed his long hair out of the way, beginning to kiss and nibble his neck.

Joey moaned quietly and tilted his head to offer more of his throat, eyes fluttering shut as he felt one of the brunet's large hands sliding around his body to dip past the silk loincloth he'd taken to wearing. "Ooh… Mmn…" He gasped quietly as he slid backward, braced between the brunet's hard body and the stiff wood of the railing. "Ngh! S-Seto!"

Seto kissed and licked his throat until he left a dark purple hickey, then lifted his hand to give one of the blond's wings a little tickle. "Good?"

"Hu-!" The half-griffin squirmed, panting a little as he was pulled a little off the railing, then bent over it, thighs twitching a little as he felt the brunet's hands grasping his hips tightly. "Set-!"

The demigod kissed his throat again lightly. "Shhhh…"

Joey tossed his head back and mewed. "Seto!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey let his head fall back against the bed weakly and mewled. "Seto, that hurt-!"

Seto sat up and frowned, wondering how to explain that that was exactly the point. He'd _wanted_ it to be so memorable that the blond could recall it years from now, even if it hurt him a little. He… wanted Joey to remember him, because he was going to let him go.

Instead, he smiled and brushed a kiss over his forehead. "You have to admit that drawn-out sex feels good too."

"'specially drawn-out sex with a demigod… Damn…" The half-griffin offered him a dopy smile. "A handsome demigod, t' boot."

At that, the brunet's smile faded. "Yes, well… About that…"

Joey became attentive immediately. "What?"

"…I just… want you to know that you're free to leave whenever you want." Seto grimaced a little as he tried to think of a way to articulate his thoughts. "I'll support your decision either way, of course, but… it's your choice. And I'll welcome you back whenever you want to see me."

"…Oh." The blond sat up and hugged his knees to his chest thoughtfully, frowning. After a few moments, though, he turned his sad gaze on the demigod and bit his bottom lip. "…If… If I outstayed my welcome, ya could've just told me. I didn't mean t' impose on ya or anything—"

The brunet waved his insecurity away quickly. "No, you weren't imposing. I like having you here with me."

"…Then why do ya want me t' leave?"

Seto grimaced again, but this time because of guilt. He'd forgotten that the blond had been given a choice to leave when he'd been kicked out of his village; either he left of his own volition, or they'd kill him. Offering him an option to leave now, no matter how innocent or kind, had not made him feel comfortable or any such thing, even though he'd meant to be understanding.

Sighing quietly, he reached out to gently grasp one of the blond's hands. "I don't want you to leave, Joey."

"…Then why didja say all that stuff?" the half-griffin asked quietly. "I thought ya were tired of me."

Seto sighed again and pulled the blond's body close to his as he turned onto his side. "…Well, _I_ thought you were getting tired of _me._" When the younger boy hummed quietly in confusion, he held him tighter. "You've been so distant lately, so quiet, that I wondered if maybe you were getting lonely with just me to talk to, especially when I'm gone half the time protecting the forest. So… I just figured… if you wanted to leave, I'd let you."

Joey frowned in confusion. He hadn't _felt_ he was being distant or abnormally quiet lately. What would have made the brunet think such a thing…?

Eyes trailing over to the silk loincloth that had been torn off his body, he couldn't help a pleased blush. Seto had gushed over his skin the first few weeks (well, he gushed as much as a demigod was able—which still felt really good for his wounded self-confidence), and in thanks for being so appreciative of his skin, he'd taken to wearing the loincloth to show it off more often. When Seto first saw him wearing it, he made his appreciation known. Immediately. Several times.

Then, he'd ordered him to wear nothing but silk—browns, yellows, and golds to compliment his natural leonine colors. He had to admit that sometimes, when other animals came to visit, the loincloth was embarrassing, but he'd found that the animals could care less what he wore. He'd even been complimented by a peacock for his warm coloring—which, Seto had proudly told him later, was a huge feat, considering that when peacocks weren't trying to apprehend a mate with their plumage, were too full of themselves to usually notice someone that was not immediately related to them.

He was more content with himself now as a half-breed, more adjusted to the idea of being unique. He only hoped that one day, he'd see his sister again, and show her just how confident and strong he was now.

Eyes landing on one of the feathers on the floor, however, Joey frowned, then sat up and turned toward the brunet. "You said I was distant and quiet?"

Seto frowned as well. "…Yes…?"

"…I'm _molting,_ you _moron!_" the blond roared, glaring at him.

The demigod blinked in surprise. "Molting?"

"_Yes,_ molting! Feathered creatures do it! And since I have feathers, _I_ molt!" Joey scowled. "I just happen t' molt all at once because of my human side! It happens every few years, and I get tired and grumpy and I don't like t' move or talk a lot and—"

Seto reached up to gently cup his chin and place a kiss on his lips. "Calm down."

The blond whined as he was immediately calmed. "Why won't ya ever let me stay mad at ya? I can't stay mad when you're bein' sweet like that."

"I'm sorry. I got us both stressed out over something that isn't even important." The demigod sighed. "I'm sorry I made you think I wanted you to leave. …I'm… glad you're staying."

Joey blushed and smiled shyly. He knew it would embarrass the brunet if he said he was happy that he wanted him to stay and that he would miss him if he left, so he just leaned in and kissed his forehead, then snuggled up against his warm body. "Thank you, Seto. Ya always know just what t' say."

Seto smiled a little and reached up to run his fingers through the blond's hair, giving the feathers he came across delicately little tugs that had the half-breed letting out kittenish mews of pleasure. "…I like coming home to you, you know. I like having someone to come back to."

The blond mewed helplessly as the demigod's other hand slid up to ruffle the feathers on his wings. "Set-!"

"…I… probably wouldn't know what to do with myself if I came home and you weren't here."

Joey melted against him, relaxed by the words being whispered in his ear and the gentle touches on his feathers. "You'd manage somehow."

"I don't think I _want_ to manage." Seto kissed him softly. "I think I want you to stay with me forever."

The blond paused, brows furrowing together for a moment, before he decided not to draw too much attention to that statement, in case the demigod ever changed his mind. "…I'll stay with you as long as you want, Seto."

The older man frowned when he got no response to his comment, but he wasn't overly concerned. Joey had been hurt in the past, and he didn't want to push him into anything he didn't want—especially when the blond had shown no signs of wanting to leave. He was perfectly willing to wait for a deeper commitment.


	14. Awkward

Awkward

"I want to meet him if he's going to be bearing heirs for you. It's my right as the lord of the territory next to yours," Pegasus stated, scowling. "You met Cecelia."

"The difference between Cecelia and _my_ lover are that Cecelia was a human that you turned and Joey is a werewolf." Seto glared at him, then sat back in his seat, resting his elbows on the armrests of his chair and placing his chin on his laced fingers. "Vampires and werewolves are natural enemies, and I'd hate for him to offend someone and then get in a fight. I'd _especially_ hate if he got in a fight with a vampire and was seriously injured or killed. In fact, I'd hate it so much, I might just go on a slaughtering spree. Then again, more territory for me."

The older vampire did not look impressed. "I want to meet him."

Sighing when he found that his scare-tactic had not worked, Seto stood from his desk. "Alright. He should be in the living room picking fabrics for his nest."

Pegasus paused. "…His… nest?"

"Yes. Werewolves capable of pregnancy—males and females—go through a nesting stage. It's their adaption to today's customs; instead of making dens, they empty out a closet and make a nest, usually out of old clothes. Thank every deity _imaginable_ that I convinced him to use bolts of cloth instead of old clothes. That would be terribly unsanitary." The brunet grumbled about traditionalist pains in the ass as he led the other vampire lord the last stretch to the living room.

Mokuba, on his way out, smiled at them brightly. "Hi Seto! Joey's torn between flannel and silk right now. I know you've tried to remove yourself from the whole 'nesting' process as much as possible, but he's stressing out over whether or not you'll approve of his decisions, so maybe you could try and help him a little."

"Mmph. I know nothing _about_ nesting." Seto let out a disgruntled growl, then frowned as he watched his brother walk toward the front door. "Where are you going?"

The younger boy's smile grew. "The Werewolf demanded his Royal Strawberry Soda, and I shall fetch it for him because he will soon be having puppies that will be my nieces or nephews."

"…I thought he wasn't pregnant yet," Pegasus mumbled, scowling. "He's already pregnant?"

"No. We're still in the planning stages because I'm a control freak like that," Seto replied.

Mokuba rolled his eyes and began out again. "Control freak? More like 'dictator.'"

The brunet narrowed his eyes at him and grumbled "…He is so grounded." Then, however, he moved over to the entrance of the living room, motioning for the other lord to follow him.

The two vampires were stunned, however, when they peered into the living room and only received an eyeful of denim-clad ass wiggling at them.

Joey bent his face closer to the bolt of cloth spread out across the floor and gave a deep sniff. Deciding that the green fabric smelled okay, he lifted the corner and began gnawing on it, tugging it firmly, then let the damp fabric fall from his mouth and looked at it. After a few moments of examination, he carefully rolled the bolt of fabric back up and set it aside.

He gasped quietly as he heard someone clear his throat and turned, ears flying up straight in startlement. However, when he saw who it was, he smiled. "Seto! I've almost decided on the fabrics I wanna use!"

"…What are you doing?" Seto asked bluntly, frowning, and motioned at his prone position.

Joey frowned. "Scents are heavier than air, so I gotta get real close to the ground, especially when the fabric's rolled out. Why?" He took a mount to examine himself, then blushed and turned a glare on him. "Oh, I'm so _sorry_ if this is an undignified position! It's not _my_ fault that vampires are so patronizin' and shit!" He huffed and flipped his hair out of his eyes, then stuck his nose up in the air. "Oh, this cotton was harvested in the month of June! It really was much too early for harvest then; it makes the bouquet bitter!

"And this thread-count—barbaric! There should be at least a thread-count of eight hundred if the taste is going to be _any_ good—What decent werewolf wants a one-hundred thread-count of Egyptian cotton?" He glared at the vampires and snorted in disgust. "Ain't gonna happen, honeybuns! Werewolves aren't snooty like _you!_"

Seto blinked in surprise, then smiled a little and stepped further into the living room. "I would never ask you to be anything but yourself, Joey. But now that we're on that subject, I see that you've picked mostly flannels and silks."

At that, the werewolf's ears wilted anxiously, and he lifted his hand to tug on his hair. "Y-yes. If that's okay with you, I mean."

"Hmm." The brunet lowered himself into a sitting position gracefully and pulled one of the bolts onto his lap. "Whatever you think is best. Why flannels and silks, though? They have little if nothing in common."

"Oh! U-um, well, you see, flannel is really good at keepin' ya warm, which is what the pups are gonna need, and while it's soft, silk is smooth and feels good, so I figured they might like… that…" Joey blushed. "…But I can always keep lookin', if that's what ya want—"

"Silk and flannel is fine. It just strikes me that silk doesn't really insulate well. Perhaps a small lining of silk compared to the flannel?" The brunet smiled when his lover beamed at him at his suggestion. "But I really came here to introduce you to Pegasus; he's the lord of the territory west of us."

"Oh." Joey turned to blink at the man still staring at him in shock, then blushed a little and sat up straighter, biting his bottom lip as he remembered just how indecent his position may have seemed to anyone that _wasn't_ a werewolf. "Oh. Um. Pleased t' meet ya." He ducked his head in embarrassment. "I didn't mean t' seem rude or anything."

"Oh, puppy, no one expects any subtlety from werewolves. Besides, I always like seeing you wiggle your butt." Seto smiled and ruffled the blond's hair.

Pegasus tilted his head and eyed the two for a few moments, then nodded shortly. "I see. Having children will not make you a threat to me." He smiled a little. "I quite like your chosen mate, Kaiba-boy. He's not too bright, but he's feisty."

"Did you just call me stupid? I'm gonna kill ya!" Joey roared, beginning to get to his feet, before he was tugged into his mate's lap. "Eek!"

Seto raised his gaze to the other vampire and smirked. "Best to escape while he's confused and flustered."

"Indeed," the older vampire agreed, then abruptly disappeared.

The blond whined. "Seto! Ya let him call me stupid and get away with it!"

"That's because I didn't want there to be a possibility of you getting hurt. You're going to go into heat soon, and I don't want you injured." Seto stroked his cheek gently before sliding his hand around to brush his hair away from his face and neck, eyes immediately locking on the pulse in his lover's neck. "I'm hungry."

Joey let his eyes drift shut and shivered as he tilted his head back. "Here…" He moaned quietly when the brunet kissed his pulse roughly, sucking and pulling, before his sharp eyeteeth gently brushed against his skin.

The werewolf screeched as the fangs pierced his flesh, back arching with pleasure as the brunet shoved him down onto his back. He squirmed a moment, whimpering quietly, then fell still, chest heaving as he felt the vampire slowly draining his blood little by little. "Huhn…! Nn! Se'o!" He mewed as he was roughly fondled through his pants and arched his hips up. "Seto!"

Seto licked at the wound he'd made for a moment, then leaned back and smiled, rubbing the bulge in his pants lightly. "Oh, puppy, you have no idea how sexy you are."

"Uhn! Hn!" He gasped quietly before letting out a long howl as he shuddered with pleasure, reaching his climax with a few more gentle squeezes. "S'to!"

The brunet purred and licked his lips as they twisted into a lewd grin. "Hmm, I love how sensitive you are." He pawed at the werewolf's crotch and growled suggestively. "Shall I defile you further, little werewolf?"

Joey cooed and arched into his hand. "Oh, please, Mr. Vampire! Don't do naughty things t' me!"

"…But I want to," Seto stated after a moment, looking baffled. Joey had never asked him not to touch him before.

"…Then catch me," the blond ordered, before shoving him away and scampering out of the room at a speed much higher than a regular human's.

Stunned, the vampire could only blink, until he heard a playful giggle just outside the room. "…Well that just makes me want to defile you more, little puppy."

He'd forgotten that werewolves were playful creatures in general; he'd also forgotten that this playfulness grew just before the werewolves went into heat, teasing their mates to the point where they would be willing to rut for hours, making the probability for pups grow. Well, Joey didn't necessarily need to worry about that, but…

…It might be fun to humor him, allow him to see that just because he'd mated with a vampire didn't mean he was doomed to a boring life, like he'd probably been worried about when he chose to mate with him anyway.

Standing slowly, the brunet growled and began toward the doorway. "I think I'll lick you when I catch you. I like watching you squeal and squirm, completely at my mercy."

"Mwee!"

Seto smirked as he heard the blond squeal and scamper away and swung around the doorframe just in time to see the werewolf's fluffy tail disappear around the corner. "Perhaps I'll use some of the silk you've been looking at to hogtie you, then have my wicked way with you. Perhaps I'll even keep you tied up after I'm finished so that I can take some pictures of you, panting, sweaty, and covered in—"

"Nyu!"

"…Or I _could_ get out the collar and leash—"

"Ack!"

The brunet smirked as he heard a thud. Mentioning the collar and leash always made the werewolf flustered enough to trip over himself and fall down. Sauntering over to the staircase, he hummed and crossed his arms. "Well, well, well. What have I got here?"

Joey glared up at him petulantly. "You cheated. Ya know I trip over myself."

"I don't know why the collar and leash fluster you so much that you fall over," Seto replied, then grinned in a decidedly unsettling manner. "I believe I've caught you, love."

"…Thanks for the soda, Mokuba!"

The brunet turned abruptly, expecting to find his brother staring at him in horror. When he did not, and instead heard the slap of bare feet on the stairs, he chuckled. "Touché, puppy." Turning to look up the stairs, he had to smile when he saw the cheeky grin flashed his direction before the werewolf scurried away. "Well, you're going to make this a good chase, aren't you?"

"My ass is worth chasin', ain't it?" Joey wiggled his hips in a way that almost had Seto using his powers to capture him, but that wouldn't have been fair, and in the end, his lover would just be disappointed.

He did not like disappointed puppies. And the chase would most certainly be worth it, if he knew his lover as well as he believed he did.


	15. Mischievous Incubus II

Author's Note: I know, I'm a bad person for not answering your reviews. On another note, SECOND PART TO MISCHIEVOUS INCUBUS so be thankful please. **:p**

Mischievous Incubus II

Joey gasped as a hand covered his mouth and immediately started to struggle, only to bleat as he was dragged into the stairway to the roof. "Mmf!" He struggled wildly, squirming and kicking frantically, before the door to the roof was thrown open and he found himself shoved through. Stumbling, he found himself quite suddenly acquainted with the cement floor. "Uhn!"

Seto took the time the blond need to recover to point at the door. All of the smokers that had been loitering took one look at the teen they assumed was about to be beaten up, then bolted; if no one saw Seto Kaiba commit murder, they didn't have to worry about being silenced themselves.

Or some logic like that.

Seto slammed the door shut and turned toward the blond as he scrambled to his feet. "Wheeler."

"What the _hell,_ Kaiba? Ya don't just kidnap someone and expect 'em t' be all civil!"

Ignoring the younger boy's splutters of outrage, the brunet scowled and reached up to dig his fingers into the dark purple mark just between his shoulder and neck. "Where did you get this?"

"Hn!" Joey flinched and reached up to grab his wrist. "Ow, what are ya—That _hurts,_ Kaiba-!"

"Where. Did. You. Get. This," the CEO growled, glaring at him.

"None of your fuckin' business, ya—_FUCK!_" The blond let out a screech of pain as the older boy's other hand slid around to his back, grabbed a handful of his shirt, and _yanked._ "_KAIBA!_"

Seto hissed in annoyance. "I _knew_ it."

"Nn! Leggo! Kaiba, that's sensitive!" Joey shuddered as the brunet gave the wing in his grasp a yank. "Kaiba!"

"You were in my room last night." The brunet gave the younger boy's wing an admittedly cruel squeeze. "What was that all about, Wheeler?" He paused when the blond only panted, then frowned in confusion. "…Wheeler…?"

The younger boy let out a helpless sob and looked up at him with teary eyes. "Please let go! Please! Kaiba, it hurts! It feels like you're rippin' it off!"

At that, Seto immediately released his wing, leaving the blond to fall to his hands and knees and pant—but giving the brunet a view of his back. He felt himself gag as he saw the blood beginning to stain his jacket. "Oh, God, Joey—"

Kneeling beside him, the brunet carefully helped him remove his jacket before delicately peeling back his shirt. He was horrified when he found the wet, sticky remains of tape that had been pinning the demonic wings to the blond's back, rendered useless from the blood that had soaked them.

Joey was right. He'd nearly torn one of his wings off. They hadn't looked so delicate when they'd been having sex the night before! They hadn't felt so flimsy, and breakable, and—

…He'd caused Joey pain. He'd meant to, of course; he was angry, and confused, and had wanted to show the blond a little of how he'd made him feel. But he hadn't meant to… to seriously _injure_ him. But he could see now—he'd almost wrenched the bone out of place, and the skin was ripped and hanging limply. He hadn't meant to do that. He hadn't meant to actually _hurt_ him.

"…Why can't you just leave me alone?" Joey sobbed, trembling in agony when he felt the brunet's fingers trying to staunch the blood. "Why can't you let me be? Why do you hafta rub it in then I'll never be as good as you?"

Seto frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"_Nn!_ Please let go that hurts!" the blond wailed. "Please that hurts let me go I'm sorry I'll never bother ya again!"

The CEO grimaced as the demon began to cry desolately. "…Joey, I… Here…" Pulling the blond into his lap, he sighed and held him tightly as the younger boy automatically turned to snuggle into his chest for comfort. "…Joey, I… I'm… sorry."

Joey sobbed something that sounded like 'liar' but didn't move.

"Here, let me…" Seto pulled the blond's shirt down and covered him with his jacket so that no one else would see the blood, then carefully pulled him into his arms. "Is this okay?"

"Ya ripped my wing!" The demon hid his face. "Ya tried t' rip my wing off!"

"I didn't try to—hmm." Sighing quietly, the brunet lifted him and began toward the door. "I'm not going to argue with you."

"'cause you're a jerk and tried t' rip off my wing!" the younger boy wailed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"—There. Does that feel better?"

Joey whimpered and looked over his shoulder anxiously into the mirror, examining the delicate stitches before the brunet could cover them with bandages. "Where'd ya even learn t' sew like that, Kaiba-?"

"I decided it was necessary if I was ever injured and had no help on hand. Assassins are surprisingly good at getting their victims alone and then _keeping_ them alone."

The blond frowned and turned to look up at him instead. "…Assassins?"

Seto raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. "You think I can be a successful CEO and not have dealt with assassins?"

"…I thought ya might be too scary for anyone t' risk goin' against," the younger boy mumbled in embarrassment.

The brunet snorted in amusement. "Oh, yes. If only that were true."

Joey twitched his wing. It didn't hurt too badly. "…Well, I guess I'll go now. Ahm—thanks for bandaging me up."

"Hmm." Seto leaned back and crossed his arms. "You're just trusting I'll stay silent? That I won't spread your secret?"

The blond froze as he reached for his shirt, turning to give the older boy a horrified stare. "Ya mean you'd really—but—Kaiba—"

"Of course, I'll keep your secret for you, if you answer a few simple questions." The CEO smirked. "Well, puppy, what do you say?"

The demon's uninjured wing wilted in defeat as his shoulders sagged. "I guess I got no choice, huh? Alright. Whatta ya wanna know?"

The brunet hummed and crossed his arms as he eyed the wing he'd unintentionally harmed. "I'm torn between starting with those or starting with _why you slept with me last night._"

Joey flinched and instinctively covered his wings with a blanket in shame. "…I… Well, I'm not human…"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid, Wheeler. _Obviously_ you're not human. Humans don't just disappear through mirrors, nor do they have wings. Stop regarding me like I'm some sort of close-minded moron that won't believe a word you say. I've _clearly_ gotten past that point with the fucking hocus-pocus that seems to follow your midget friend everywhere he goes!"

The blond flinched again, ducking his head in shame. "I-I'm sorry, it's just… Alright. I'll just spit it out then." Taking a deep breath, the demon lifted his teary eyes to meet the brunet's. "…I'm an incubus. Mostly. My dad's a cambion, and he seduced my ma, and she's completely succubus—'nd she got pregnant with me. They tried t' make some sort of relationship work, but then Ma got pregnant with Serenity, and she realized that Dad was just useless, and she left, took Serenity with her. Said it was easier for her t' teach Serenity because they're both girls."

When the demon paused and peeked up at him anxiously, the brunet frowned as he tried to take in the information. "An incubus, hmm? And since you hate me, you wanted to steal my life force through sex?"

"Okay, _that_ is a common misconception! We could survive just fine with consuming the happy energy from laughter or stuff like that! The sex is just more traditional!" Huffing in annoyance, Joey crossed his arms and turned, knocking the blanket from his shoulders and exposing his delicate wings again. "It takes a lot of trainin' t' become a registered incubus or succubus, not t' mention the fuckin' test!"

Seto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? And you passed that test, I take it."

The blond flinched and looked away again. "Well, no. I failed."

"…But…" The human frowned and tilted his head in confusion. "…You had sex with _me._"

Joey ducked his head even more. "…You… _were_ my test," he mumbled in embarrassment. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for condescending laughter or even scorn.

Seto frowned. "But the sex was wonderful. I quite enjoyed it."

The blond looked up at him quickly, blushing; when he saw the truly baffled expression, though, he couldn't help a pleased smile. Unfortunately, the compliment was soon forgotten. "I don't pass or fail on whether or not you like it. It's based on who… on who c-comes first."

"Who comes first-?" He had a flash back to the tears he'd seen, the frustration and anger on the blond's face. The broken _'I should be better at sex'_ that had been spat at him, the devastated expression on his face. "…When you said that you were born to have sex—I made you fail your test?"

Joey shrugged and began playing with the edge of the blanket. "…I-It was no big deal. My classmates woulda teased me even if I _had_ passed the test."

"Classmates-? You mean—there are _classes_ for incubi?" the brunet spluttered, sitting up straight.

The demon looked up at him in confusion. "Of course. First we learn how to control our powers so we don't accidentally suck the libido right out of people, and then we learn about basic sex between heterosexuals and homosexuals. We take a test to figure out who we're attracted to, and then we go from there."

"A test?" Seto raised an eyebrow. Somehow, classes for incubi and succubae made sense. After all, humans without libidos would be bad for demon health; if they ate the energy from happiness and sex, then humans dying out because of lack of interest would be bad.

"A simple aura and blood test. Demons have had thousands of years to perfect those things, you know." Joey frowned. "We're split up into strictly homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual classes. Classes aren't unisex, either; boys and girls are taught separately. Then we learned about all the most erogenous zones on humans and ourselves, and then how to safely steal humans' energies. Then we go through the physical courses that teach us how to control our bodies so that we should always have the upper hand during sex. Then we have the endurance training, so we can last longer during sex."

The brunet frowned at that. "…So you weren't a virgin when I took you?"

"No, ya hafta be a virgin for your first test. In fact, everyone's usually expected t' fail the test the first time, so I really wasn't that different. The others just made fun of me because of my human blood." The blond sighed and tilted his head sadly. "I was so good at my endurance test, too. I lasted for three and a half hours on the last test—and I'd set a record for four earlier in the term!"

Seto was momentarily distracted by the thought of the blond trembling, body begging for release as _hours_ ticked by, but forced his mind back on course. "How did your endurance tests work if you had to be a virgin, then?"

Joey gave him such a deadpanned look that he felt like an idiot. "We've had thousands of years t' develop tests for determining someone's sexuality; I'm _pretty_ sure we've had just as long to develop machines for sex. And if we hadn't, we could always just steal human vibrators. That's actually one of the test instruments—and I didn't particularly like it as much as the machine that actually moved in and out— …K-Kaiba?" The blond couldn't help a blush at the intense look he was being given. "…K-Kaiba, stop lookin' at me like that—"

It took everything he had not to tackle the blond onto the floor and see _just_ how long the blond could go. However, after a moment of thought, the CEO frowned in confusion. "If you can last that long… And I can't… How did you…?"

The blond blushed a little more in embarrassment. "Well, the machines and toys only deal with internal pleasure, and no one really wants t' jack off in class, so, it was homework."

Seto rolled his eyes and sighed. "Let me guess. Just like your homework in the human realm, you _failed to do it._"

"Well… yeah," Joey answered meekly. He looked down at his lap in embarrassment. "…I-I woulda been fine, but… ya started jackin' me off, and I couldn't… I just…" He blushed again and brought a hand up to cover his mouth. "I couldn't help myself! Somethin' in the way ya did it—I just had to-!"

"Well, that might just be because Gozaburo thought I should be trained in carnal matters so I could better take advantage of people." The brunet ignored the horrified gasp he received for this information and instead leaned back in his seat. "I suppose the reason I'm not surprised about all of this was that the person Gozaburo hired to teach me was an incubus. Except he could actually use his wings. He flew in for my lessons and he flew back out when we were finished. I never saw him use that mirror trick that you used."

The blond frowned and tilted his head. "My wings are basically useless because my human blood crippled 'em when I was developin'. But not all incubi and succubae have wings, anyway. That's why we have that mirror trick." He hesitated before quietly asking, "Ya were taught t' have sex with people?"

Seto hummed and nodded, shrugging a little. "Doesn't matter. That's in the past. In any case, I think my training along with your inability to do homework for _any_ classes is probably what—How do they decide just who your test is with? And why go through all this trouble?"

"…I just…" Joey blushed again. "I figured that since I was born this way, I might be better at it than you. 'nd I just… I wanted t' be better than you for once." He ducked his head in shame. "I know it's petty, but I just… I wanted t' show ya that I could be the best at something, too."

The brunet frowned. "…You… wanted to prove… Joey. You didn't need to do that."

"But ya just showed me up at every turn-! I just wanted t' prove that I could be just as good as you are at somethin'!" the blond exclaimed, frowning. "I just wanted ya t' see that I could be just as good as you, and—"

"Puppy, you have nothing to prove to me. I like you the way you are." Seto scowled. "However, I have no interest in a partner that sleeps around. If you want sex, come to me, and I'll be happy to help you with that."

"Oh. Ok—Partner? Wait, are you sayin' that I'm your lover or somethin' now?" Joey sputtered, confused.

"Yes. And you don't need to retake that test, either. You're mine now."

The blond whined in confusion."…But-! Y-ya can't just _demand_ I be yours-!"

Seto smirked. "I can. And I believe I just did."

"I don't hafta say yes!"

"Hmm, it seems that I know your secret, and I'm actually quite capable of spreading it. Now be my lover or have it known publicly that you're a demon."

"…BLACKMAIL! I swear I'll make your life miserable!" Joey howled, glaring at him.

Seto shrugged. "I'm certain you'll be changing your mind after I pamper you a bit."

The blond let out a pained roar when his wings fluttered in his annoyance. "You make me so mad, moneybags! And now you're making me hurt myself!"

"You'd best get over that if you want your wing to heal."

"UGH!"


	16. Awkward II

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Awkward II

Seto scowled as his beeper went off. Luckily, they were just coming to a break in the meeting. He hurriedly silenced it and waved his hand for the man to continue.

Ten minutes later, he excused himself as the rest of the shareholders went to the bathroom or for snacks or coffee. Pulling out his beeper, he made a bet with himself of whether it would be Mokuba's emergency "I forgot I have a thing for class today HELP ME" or Mokuba's annoying "Just wanted to bother you at work, big brother." However, when he saw the large, blinking letters H-E-A-T on his beeper, he nearly panicked.

Joey _had_ been acting strange this morning, but he'd figured it was because the blond wasn't a morning person! He hadn't realized he'd been starting his _heat!_ And they still had about an hour and a half of the meeting—maybe two—and his puppy was in _heat,_ wanting Seto to fill him up but at the point where he would allow _anyone_ to use him in his drive to get pregnant and make the heat stop—

Seto jumped as his phone began to ring and hurriedly fumbled it open. "Hello?"

"_**OHMYGOD SETO HE TRIED TO HUMP ME!"**_ Mokuba wailed on the other line. _**"I'LL TRADE YOU! I'D RATHER SIT THROUGH A HUNDRED HOURS OF SHAREHOLDERS MEETINGS THAN HAVE JOEY HUMP ME AND BEG ME TO FUCK HIM AGAIN!"**_

Seto immediately used his powers to transport to the mansion, grabbing his little brother by the collar and flinging him out the front door. "Stay at a hotel for a few nights, Mokie! …Make it a week!"

Mokuba caught himself to keep from falling and turned toward him sharply, looking paler than normal and a little sick. "I sent all the maids home and locked him in your bedroom! I'm sorry, he just—Agh, I have to burn these clothes now!" He shuddered. "Ugh, so gross! My brother-in-law humped me!"

The brunet let out an angry hiss at the thought and turned to storm up the stairs. He knew it wasn't really Joey's fault. He probably wouldn't be able to handle going into heat nearly as peacefully as Joey usually did. However, it still pissed him off that Joey would lose control simply because they'd planned on having _children_ this time. It _especially_ pissed him off because Joey had humped his _little brother!_

Snarling furiously, Seto kicked the door to his room open. "_Joseph Wheeler—_"

He was immediately tackled to the ground as soon as he'd stepped inside. "Seto! Ahn!"

The brunet growled in annoyance as the werewolf immediately began bucking his hips against him and sat up straight, even as the blond frantically humped his thigh. "Joey, you—_JOEY!_"

Joey yelped in surprise and froze, looking up at him in shock. "…W-what?"

"Don't just hump me as soon as I walk in! Did you really think you could hump my little brother and get away with it?" the vampire snarled. "What the hell! We decide to have kids this one time and you just—just lose control and start humping anything in sight!"

The blond frowned in confusion. "I-I didn't mean to, though, I just—"

"Just wanted to be fucked and anything with a penis and a pulse was good enough! If this is how you act every time we decide to have children and you go into heat, I don't know if I want anything to do with it!"

Joey winced, then whimpered quietly and ducked his head in shame. "I-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinkin'—"

"_Obviously!_" Seto spat, glaring at him.

The werewolf winced again, then hurriedly turned and scampered under the bed. "I'm _sorry!_"

The brunet sighed and stood, dusting himself off, then walked over to the bed and leaned over to peer at him. "Joey, come out so I can talk to you. You know I don't like it when you hide and—"

"I'm _sorry!_" Joey repeated tearfully, then crawled further under the bed. "I'm _sorry,_ I'm SORRY!"

Seto sighed again and got on his hands and knees. "Joey, I understand that you're sorry, and I'm sure now that you didn't mean it. Please come out so we can talk face-to-face." When he only heard a quiet sob, he frantically clawed under the bed, just barely catching the hem of his shirt before he moved out of his reach. "Joey! Damn it! Come here!"

"You don't wanna have puppies with me anymore, do ya? Ya don't wanna have any kids with a _whore_—"

"I never called you a whore! Stop putting words in my mouth! I'm angry that you humped my brother, not—" He frowned as the blond's words finally registered. "…Of… Of _course _I want to have puppies with you, Joey. I'm just… a little angry right now. You know how protective I get of Mokuba, and then I heard that you—" He paused.

Joey should have been angry, should have been yelling at him about how he'd left him alone despite acting odd that morning. He should have been snarling and pissed and disgusted with him as a mate because it was _his_ fault he was so sexually frustrated. He shouldn't have been cowering under a bed, crying and feeling ashamed. This wasn't right. It wasn't—

Seto looked up as he heard a loud click and felt his heart break little as he saw a flash of the blond's golden tail before the closet door shut again. "Joey…"

Joey's father had always locked him in a closet during his heats, saying it was the only way the blond wouldn't embarrass himself or the family. Never mind that Joey didn't really want puppies if he didn't have a mate—which he hadn't at that point—and was actually very good at laying low during his heat; the only reason people really knew he was in heat was because he was usually missing for a couple of weeks, or they stopped by his house and heard his father screaming at him about bastard children and how he'd be lucky to ever find a mate—and a mate that would want to have _children_ with him, no less, and—

"Oh… Oh, puppy…" Feeling a little guilty for hurting his mate, the brunet stood and walked over to the closet door. "…I… I didn't mean to…" He hesitated before reaching out and gently sliding the door open.

Joey looked up at him tearfully and let out a small, broken bleat, then buried his face in his hand and continued to whimper. "I'm so—so _soooorrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy!_"

Seto knelt in front of him and carefully pulled him into a hug. "No, Joey, _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have just yelled at you like that. I'm sure there were other ways to get your attention." He took a moment to pet him, paying special attention to his trembling ears, then ducked down to kiss his cheeks and lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

The blond sniffled and leaned in to nuzzle his shoulder. "I didn't realize it was Mokuba until he screamed. You guys… you guys smell really alike. I didn't realize until… Oh, I'm so _sorry!_" He let out a howl of shame.

"…What do you mean, we smell alike? Our soaps are nothing al— …That monster. He's stolen my soap _again!_ Joey, he brought the molestation upon himself. And I'll be buying us separate soaps from now on."

Joey sniffed again and looked up at him in confusion. "…But he's like two feet shorter than ya and he's got black hair—"

"…Joey, did you even know that it was me when you jumped me?" the brunet deadpanned.

"…Well, you were tall enough, so…"

Seto let out an annoyed growl and grabbed the blond's hair to yank his head back. When he saw the glazed-over brown eyes, however, and he took notice of how hot the blond's skin was (even for a werewolf), he realized that he was lucky that Joey could even take stock of his basic height and coloring. "I see."

"…I'm… still sorry, Seto. I probably coulda waited until I heard it was you before I started tacklin' and humpin'."

"Hmm." The brunet let out a quiet grumble but instead of getting angry again, he turned his head and caught one of the werewolf's ears between his teeth, nibbling on the tip tenderly as he lifted his hand to gently pinch the tip of his other ear—spots he'd learned early in the relationship that made his lover squirm.

"Uhn!" Joey jerked his head in surprise, then whimpered and fell limp against him, fingers clenching his coat tightly as his hips began to shift a little. "Ooh, Seto, nnnn…!" He shuddered a little when the brunet's fangs flicked over the tip, then sighed quietly and began rolling his hips appreciatively. "Seto…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba frowned as he found his brother in his bathroom, snarling as he took all of his soaps and shampoos and shoved them into a trash bag. "…Seto? What are you doing?"

"He humped you because you _smelled_ like me, Mokuba. Stop stealing my soap, buy your _own_ God damn soap, and stop confusing him when he's so horny he can't see straight and is going by smell and general outline!" Seto growled, turning to glare at him. "Why are you stealing my soaps, anyway?"

"…'Cause I was too lazy to go out and buy my own," he mumbled, wincing when his brother's glare darkened. "Alright, I'm sorry! I'll go out and buy some new bath stuff right now!" Turning, he began to step out of his bathroom.

"Seto, I thought ya said that _you_ were gonna change soaps, not—Oh." Joey froze in the doorway and bit his bottom lip as he saw the younger boy also come to a stop. "…Um… I'll just… go… this way…" he stated haltingly, the blushed brightly and scurried out of the room.

Mokuba, cheeks already burning in embarrassment, ducked his head and hurried out of his room, headed for the front door. "I'll make sure that my soap's nothing like yours, Seto!"

Seto, who had peeked out of the bathroom at his mate's sudden silence, raised an eyebrow, then turned back to shoving his pilfered soaps into the trash bag. "This bodes for a very awkward dinner."


	17. Little Nymph IV

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Little Nymph IV

Joey frowned in concern and gently touched his lover's shoulder. "Seto?"

Seto grunted and curled his coils tighter, unable to help being grumpy. "_What?_"

The blond flinched and yanked his hand back quickly. "I-I'm sorry… It's just… ya haven't eaten in _days,_ Seto. I know ya can go without food for a long time, but… but I'm gettin' worried."

"I don't _need_ to eat. I'm _fine._ Why don't _you_ go get something to eat and _leave me alone._"

Joey flinched again and hurriedly backed away. "…I-I'm sorry." He glanced around the den anxiously before walking toward the entrance. "I'll just… I'll just go, then. W-when do ya want me back-?"

Seto hissed loudly.

The blond turned and hurried to the entrance of the cave, but a flash of silver was suddenly in front of him, and then he was caught in the naga's tight coils. "Ngh! Set-!"

"Do you feel that?" the brunet hissed, glaring at him as he gave the half-nymph a small squeeze. "Doesn't feel very comfortable, does it?"

Joey whimpered and shook his head. "No-!" He squirmed a little and looked up at him pleadingly. "Seto, lemme go! It hurts-!"

"Well you know what, _I_ hurt!" Seto snarled, giving him another squeeze. "_I'm_ tired and _I'm_ hungry and _I'm_ hurting! You have not even _begun_ to hurt!"

"Ngh-!" The blond let out a shriek as he felt his ribs creaking under the pressure. "Seto you're gonna break me!"

The naga released him with a hiss and began slithering against the wall, rubbing his hip up against it where his skin turned to scale. "Fucking—ssssstupid—damn it—huuuurrrtssss—"

Joey trembled as he stayed prone on the ground, worried that the brunet might grab him again if he tried to move. He didn't understand why Seto was hurting, but he knew that if he did anything to aggravate him while he was angry, he could accidentally kill him. After a few moments, though, he sat up, breathing shakily because his ribs ached like he hadn't felt in a long time. "…S-Seto?"

"_What!_"

"…Why do you hurt?"

Seto turned toward him sharply, almost looking surprised, before his face twisted back into an angry scowl. "I'm _shedding._ My skin is too tight and I can't get it off!"

The blond took a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the twinge he felt in his ribs, then got to his feet, legs trembling a little as he stepped toward the serpentine man. "…Seto? Can I try and help ya get it off?"

"What? No. It's disgusting." The naga hissed as the blond slid his arms around his waist and nuzzled his chest. "It's dead skin. Why would you want to touch my dead scales?" He blinked when the half-nymph kissed him in response, then immediately fell limp as the blond scratched at his sensitive hip.

Joey gasped as the brunet flopped bonelessly to the ground and hurried to kneel at his side. "Seto!"

"…That felt _nice_." The naga blinked again for a moment before turning his eyes back on the blond. "Do it again."

The blond blushed, then reached down to gently rub where his scales met skin. Once certain that it didn't hurt him anymore than he already did, he used his nails to scratch, first gently, then more firmly. "Like this?"

Seto squirmed and hissed quietly. "Just like that. But harder. Don't worry about hurting me; my scales are too thick for your nails alone to hurt."

"Okay." Joey lifted his free hand to scratch his other hip, digging his nails in as hard as he could. A few minutes later, when his fingers were beginning to hurt and he almost felt like his fingernails might just rip off, he felt the skin peel away with a sound akin to ripping paper. He cringed at the noise and looked up at the brunet quickly. "Did that hurt?"

The brunet used his elbows to help him lean upward and examine his tail. "No. That's the sound it makes when you peel it away, because the inside of the dead skin liquefies so it can slide off." He scowled and slapped the blond's hand when he reached to touch the detached piece of skin. "Don't touch it. It's dead and it's gross."

"…But I can help ya get it off faster, so ya won't hurt as long," the half-nymph argued, frowning. "I don't like it when you're hurtin', Seto…"

Seto frowned as well and looked down at the piece of skin that had peeled away, then sighed and lifted his hips. "Alright. Get it loose all the way around, then hold onto the edge so I can slither out of it."

"Okay. Hey, your scales look bigger," Joey pointed out, reaching out to stroke one of the pearly white scales that had been revealed.

"Of course they are. I'm not full grown yet; my tail still grows about an inch or two every year. I'll be finished growing in about ten years." The brunet paused as he saw the younger boy's nervous expression, then deadpanned, "Only my tail is still growing. The human half of my body is pretty much aged as much as it will until I start looking old."

"…" The blond blushed as he began peeling the skin away all the way around his waist. "…Since… since your… p-penises are part of your tail… Does… does that mean your penises grow too?"

Seto blinked at him in confusion. "…I've… never actually measured the growth of my penises."

Joey sighed worriedly, then gripped the dead skin tightly and nodded. "Okay. I think I've got it now."

"Alright. Stay still." The naga wiggled his hips a little before digging his sharp nails into the dirt floor and beginning to drag himself forward, out of the too-tight skin. Once he'd freed several inches of his tail, he glanced back at the blond. "I'm going to slither now. It'll be fast—probably just a quick tug. Brace yourself."

The half-nymph nodded a little and braced himself so he wouldn't fall flat on his face. "I'm ready."

It was just as Seto had said: he'd moved fast, just a flash of silvery white, and a short jerk as the skin was yanked inside out and away from the brunet's new scales.

Despite the warning, Joey still found himself strewn across the old skin, stunned. "Wow!"

Seto turned to face him and cringed a little when he saw the blond actually laid out across his shedding. "I know. It's pretty disgusting."

"I can see where each of your scales was!" the blond exclaimed, sitting up and tracing the skin lightly with his fingers in awe. "Wow… Your scales grew a lot…"

The naga shifted awkwardly. "Listen, let's just throw it out already."

"But it's so amazing! Look at the scale pattern—"

"You know… You _could_ look at my _new_ scales," Seto cut in, slowly slithering around the half-nymph until the tip of his tail gently tickled underneath his chin. "They're a little sensitive right now, so be _careful._"

Joey couldn't help blushing brightly as the tip of the brunet's tail slid up to cup his cheek. "Oh. O-okay." He looked down at the pearly white scales and shivered as the muscles beneath them flexed, making the light ripple over them in silvers and whites. While he knew that those muscles could crush his bones into powder and throw him like a ragdoll, he also knew that they could give him comforting little squeezes, or firm tugs as he shared his body—

The blond blushed even more. "Ya sure ya don't know if your penises are still the same? Seems like somethin' you'd wanna know."

The naga blinked at him before his lips twisted into a smirk. "Why don't you check for me?"

Joey bit his bottom lip before smiling up at him coyly. "Alright."

Seto squeaked. He hadn't actually expected that to work.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto gently brushed the scratches on the blond's hips and twisted around to gently lick the red lines. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"…Um… Didja mean t' hurt me when ya started crushin' me?" the blond asked softly.

The naga jerked upward, frowning in confusion. "Crushed you?"

Joey sat up and bit down anxiously on his index finger. "…Ya got angry with me and ya wrapped me up in your tail. I think ya were tryin' t' show me how much ya hurt."

"…Oh. _Oh._" Seto sat up quickly, gently running his hands over the blond's sides and over his chest. "Nothing feels broken. Do you still feel pain? Did you feel anything snap?"

"No, ya stopped when I yelped that you'd break me." The half-nymph bit his bottom lip and reached up to catch the brunet's hand. "Seto, it's okay. I just… wished that you'd given me a warnin'. Explained why ya were actin' that way. I woulda been able t' help ya sooner, Seto."

The older boy frowned as he looked down at the smaller hand wrapped around his own. "…I… didn't want to be weak. I hate shedding. I'm tired. Shedding drains me. Sex drained me more. I feel… drained. Pathetic. I can't protect you. I can barely protect myself."

Joey lifted the brunet's hand to kiss the back of it. "And how would ya protect yourself like this, Seto?"

"Coil up in a corner and hope whatever came across me while I slept didn't have teeth sharp enough to pierce my scales," the naga replied automatically.

The blond giggled quietly at the matter-of-fact tone, then turned to snuggle up against his chest. "Well, I could always curl up with ya, keep an eye out while ya sleep. I could wake ya up if anything came in that I thought was dangerous."

"Hmm. That seems like the most logical choice. Alright." Seto wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and carried him over to a corner of the cave, then began curling around him tightly—not so tight that he'd be uncomfortable, but tight enough that he could cover most of his body with his tail. Settling so the blond was tucked against his chest, he asked, "Is this okay?"

The half-nymph thought idly about asking to go clean himself first, but he was surprisingly comfortable, and his lover had said he was exhausted. He'd just have to deal with the uncomfortable mess later. "Yeah. It's great." He smiled when he felt a gentle kiss brushed across his shoulder and leaned back against him more. "Hmm. Sleep well, Seto."

"I don't think I could sleep badly while I'm holding you like this," Seto whispered, giving him a little squeeze. "I like you more and more each day. I think I'm even falling in love with you."

Joey gasped quietly, then squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to calm down. He'd said that _maybe_ he was falling in love with him. It would do no good to get his hopes up. Instead, he settled more firmly against the naga's chest and focused on keeping his heart from beating out of his own.

The brunet frowned when he got no response, but he recognized that the half-nymph had been very badly hurt by his initial callousness. Saying that he might be falling in love would never be enough to heal the hurt he'd originally caused. But he was hopeful. He knew that at some point, the liking would change to loving, and then he'd be able to say the words that the blond so badly needed to hear.


	18. SheMale

Author's Note: Seto and Joey are both nagas in this. You'll probably learn more about snakes than you ever wanted to know. I think I put way too much research and thought into this. -_- Oh, and if you find the lemon a bit lacking, I had no idea what to do with four penises. I had a hard enough time with the three-penis relationship. Four-penis relationship with just two people is crazy difficult. **:|**

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

She-Male

Seto tilted his head a little and sniffed the air. Once he was certain that he had, in fact, smelled something that piqued his interest, he let his forked tongue slide out to test the air.

Ah, it was the smell of a female in heat. Or… something like that. It seemed strange, for some reason, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Oh, well, he didn't smell any males in the area.

…Perhaps he should call on this female snake. It would be rude to pass through without at least greeting her. And Seto was a very respectful naga—when it benefitted him, and he sincerely hoped that calling on this female would.

Slithering up to a cave just a half mile away, he hissed and tested the air with his tongue again, then paused at the entrance. "Hello? Miss?"

"G-go away!"

Seto let out a disgruntled rumble, then paced the entrance a few times before trying again. "Are you alright, miss?"

"I said go away! D-don't bother me!"

The brunet paused, frowning, then edged into the cave slowly, eyes adjusting to the dim light to show a trembling pile in the back, pressed against the wall. Slithering closer, he saw the long, dark tail coiled around the pale torso, a long golden mane falling down the other naga's muscular back. The female was very attractive. He had no idea why he'd been turned away. "But you're pretty."

"Ah!" The blond gasped and jerked upward, turning to stare up at him in surprise.

Seto was momentarily stunned. The blond was a… a _male._ But he was giving off the scent of a female in heat, so—so he was a she-male? He didn't _look_ like a garter snake.

He was perturbed when he saw dark bruising around the blond's right eye, and the cut on his lip. A quick glance confirmed what he'd been led to think; the naga in front of him had been beaten, most likely because the last male that had stumbled across him had been disgusted that he wasn't actually female. And the poor boy was probably terrified that he'd beat him again because of disappointment in his lack of female anatomy or disgust.

"…I'm Seto," he stated kindly, offering the blond a hand. "What's your name?"

The smaller snake trembled silently, unsure of what to make of this stranger that had invaded his haven, then hesitantly rested his hand in the brunet's, gasping as he was pulled up swiftly. "Nn!" When he wasn't hurt, he looked up at the other man and bit his bottom lip. "…I-I… I'm Joey."

Seto took a moment to glance over the plain scales, seeing no pattern to identify him as a garter snake. "…Are you a hybrid? You don't look at all like a garter snake."

"Oh…" Joey ducked his head in embarrassment. "…I-I know. No, I'm a mamba. I… I guess the 'black' part goes without sayin', huh?" He giggled anxiously and pulled away from the older boy, coiling his tail tightly and lying across the spirals of flesh tenderly. "My great-grandpa was a garter snake. That's why I'm like this. And of course I'm in the middle of a territory where most nagas don't understand the she-male garter snake thing, so I get beaten up a lot."

"It's so you can get more heat after hibernation, right? To make you more active faster," the brunet questioned, coiling up in front of him. He crossed his arms and laid his head on top of them, eyeing the younger boy skeptically. "You don't look like you've just come out of hibernation."

"I didn't!" the mamba exclaimed, frowning. He reached up to pull on his hair anxiously. "It's just time for most garter snakes to come out of hibernation, so my body's just… accommodating for it, I guess…" He sighed and closed his eyes sadly. "I wouldn't mind a little sex, but… most men are just disgusted with me, so they either leave, or they beat me up, or force me t' jack 'em off for gettin' them 'excited for nothin'.'"

The brunet was annoyed. "I see," he stated quietly, and he did; apparently, other men thought it perfectly okay to take advantage of the poor mamba in his weakest hour and then dump him.

He shuddered a little. "…No one's ever bothered t' do the same for me." He choked back a whimper of disgust and desperation. He _wanted_ to be touched and he _wanted_ to have sex, but no one would do that for him here. He'd have to leave the territory and go look for some garter snake territory where he could be accepted at least for his 'she-male' status. After a moment, he frowned, then looked up at the other naga. "…You're not a garter snake. Why do you know all this stuff?"

"You're right. I'm a python," Seto admitted. "But I like learning about other snakes. It's actually fascinating."

"Oh. …Will… Will ya teach me about garter snakes? I know I'll hafta leave this territory to find one where I'll be accepted soon, so… it would be best if I knew everything I could."

The python frowned. "You don't have to leave. I accept that you have no control over your body." When the blond blushed, he smirked and began slithering toward him, letting his tongue dart out to test the air even as he saw the younger boy's hopeful eyes widen in surprise. "In fact… I don't think I have a problem with the fact that you're male, either."

Joey gasped as the brunet suddenly darted at him, faster than a python really had the right to be, and was stunned when he found himself pressed against the wall. "Ah! S-Seto!"

Seto hissed quietly before thrusting his tongue into the mamba's mouth, moaning when the blond's tongue immediately twisted upward to push his tongue out and tangle around it in midair. He watched the mamba smile smugly and allowed him a moment to revel in the perceived victory, then turned, his silver and white tail already twining around the blond's black and gray one.

"Oh! Oh, Seto, ah—" The younger naga blushed and twisted his tail as he felt the brunet's hand stroking his scales, trying to find his hidden entrance. "Huh-! No! Ah! _Eek!_" He yelped as he was tossed away, momentarily hurt that the brunet would do that after being so nice, but when he turned, he squeaked as he found another naga hissing at his new friend, the hood on the back of his neck down to mid-spine opening as he flashed his long fangs. "Ah-?"

Seto darted out of the cobra's range, frowning in annoyance as he glanced at the blond, then looked back up at the raven-haired man, eyes narrowing. "We were in the middle of something, if you hadn't noticed!"

"Yes. I see that you were about to take the mamba. I can assure you that she will want to procreate with me, more," the cobra hissed. "Ra knows what sort of children _you'd_ breed with her."

The brunet hissed as well, angry because he knew he couldn't win this fight unless he was willing to risk the cobra's venom. His only hope of winning was to corner him, trap him in his coils, and constrict, which would do no good if the cobra was injecting him with venom, bite after bite.

He was surprised when he suddenly found the blond in front of him, his own scaled hood (much smaller than the strange cobra's) flaring out as he hissed angrily at the man in front of him. "Go away! I'm a _man!_ I'm just about t' get laid, and if ya ruin that for me, I'm gonna hunt ya down and beat ya senseless!"

The cobra seemed surprised by this, eyes wide in horror as he looked the blond up and down. After a few moments, however, the gaze became appreciative. "Well, I'm certain that fucking you until you beg for mercy will more than make up for your inability to lay eggs—"

Joey hissed louder and exposed his fangs threateningly. "You didn't even ask to come into my den! Fucking rude! Now get lost! I'm busy right now, and while your tail is impressive—" He blushed a little, scowling. "…Seto's tail is longer! He'll be able to pleasure me much better than you would, thanks!"

The stranger's mouth dropped open in shock. While the fact that Seto's tail _was_ indeed larger, it was more common for snakes to worry about the breed and pedigree of a potential suitor than how well the suitor would be able to please them. And it was quite rude to mention the size of a naga's tail like that unless there was some sort of prostitution involved. …And the smug smile on the python's face was just humiliating.

The blond growled quietly as he watched the cobra turn and flee, crossing his arms with a huff. "Yeah, ya better run! Asshole. I was totally gonna get laid…" And now he wasn't, because he'd shown an aggressive side he really wasn't used to showing unless he was frightened or hurt. He winced a little at the thought. _'I'm a freak even in mamba standards, never mind this whole garter she-male thing!'_

Hearing a quiet hiss behind him, he turned, ready to face the music and allow the python to leave. Instead, he blushed when he saw the predatory leer on the brunet's face. "Wh-wha—"

"You're _sexy_ when you're pissed," Seto stated, then lunged at him and dragged him into a rough kiss. He thrust his tongue into the surprised boy's mouth and began twisting his tail around the blond's. "Mmf-!"

"Ahn-! Ah!" Joey struggled for a moment, confused, but soon realized that the brunet still wanted to have sex with him—maybe even more so, now. Then, he began to kiss back fervently, clinging to the other naga as he desperately wriggled his tail.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Ha-! Hnn!" Joey trembled, body spasming a little in pain. "Ha… Seto… Nn… Lemme… Lemme go… Hurts…"

Seto frowned, then gasped quietly and sat up, hurriedly unwinding his tail. He looked down at the blond's tail and groaned quietly. "I'm _sorry._"

There was a bruise already forming from where his tail had accidentally constricted the blond's thinner one, a black spiral down the length of already dark scales. Seto trailed his fingers over the bruising and sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to actually start constricting."

"…Are ya gonna try and eat me now or somethin'?" the blond asked quietly, frowning. "…I didn't think I was that bad…"

"You were wonderful, all hot and tight." The python smiled. "Even if you were terrible at sex, I wouldn't eat you just for that. I stick to smaller things; eating another naga seems barbaric to me." He paused, then leaned down to kiss his shoulder. "Besides, I'm certain your venom would get to me before I could ever suffocate you."

"Oh, I… um… Thanks?" Joey shrugged uncomfortably but began coiling his tail, wincing a little as the bruises stretched and dragged over the dirt floor. "Ngh…! I… I'm gonna sleep now. Sex is awesome, but I'm exhausted."

Seto couldn't help but feel smug. "I wore you out by fucking you once?" When the blond blushed, he chuckled and began coiling around him. "Don't worry. We'll work on your stamina."

"…We will?" the blond asked in surprise. "Ya mean you're gonna stick around?"

"I won't lie. I was disappointed when I saw you weren't a woman," the python admitted, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy and pulling him to rest against his chest. "But that was because I was listening to my instincts and not my brain. I like you. You're interesting; I've never met an openly aggressive and feisty black mamba. I'd love to learn more about you. I can't imagine you'd mind?"

Joey blushed brightly and squirmed a little, then fell still. "Well, no, I guess not. I… I'd like t' get t' know ya, too. O-oh!" He pressed closer to the brunet as he felt his tail constrict, terrified he'd be crushed for a moment, but instead he felt the older naga's coils wedging under his own. "Wha-?"

Seto blushed and frowned a little. "…You're warmer than I am…"

"Huh. I guess this she-male thing is good for somethin' then," the blond murmured, snuggling up against his chest. He raised his coils a little to allow the older boy's tail under his. He shivered as the tip of the python's tail wedged particularly deep in his coils and let out a disgruntled squeak. "Sweet mother of _Ra_ that's cold!"

"…One of the downsides of having a tail so long is that the end of my tail gets cold." The brunet snuggled closer, tightening his coils so he could fit more of his tail beneath the mamba's. "I can't help it. You're so warm…"

Joey sighed and spread the loops of his tail a little wider so he could cover more of the older boy's. "I think ya might hafta do me more if I'm gonna hafta keep us both warm."

"More? I'd love to do you more. I'm certain I could live with this arrangement." Seto hugged him tightly. "I want to show you my den. Will you come see it?"

"…Will ya do me in your den? 'Cause if ya will, then yes. I don't wanna just do it here like I'm just your fuck buddy."

The python decided not to tell him that that's exactly what they were right now, regardless of what the relationship could evolve to become, and merely held him tightly. He understood what was being stated, though. Joey didn't want to be treated like a female being called upon; he wanted to be treated like an equal, like the male he was but hadn't been treated as.

Well, he could deal with that. He had a large, flat rock near his den that got quite hot in the sun, and he had to admit that the idea of fucking the blond while he was strewn across the warm surface was quite appealing.

Not to mention that he wanted to throw the mamba across his soft, warm pillows to show him just how uncomfortable this 'sleeping on the floor' thing was. He imagined the expression on Joey's face when he learned that his dear Seto was the heir to the king of the territory would be quite amusing. And he imagined the expression on his father's face when he saw that he'd chosen a she-male mamba as his mate would be hilarious as well.


	19. Toothless

Author's Note: This idea came from Willowsnake. And _yes,_ there _will_ be a Toothless II. Eventually.

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Toothless

"Seto, I lost a tooth. I'm gonna put it under my pillow, 'kay?" Mokuba asked, poking his head into his brother's office.

Seto frowned. "Why?"

"Well, the kids at school always put their lost teeth under their pillows, and the tooth fairies come and give them money in place of their teeth," the younger boy explained.

The brunet blinked. "…I don't understand."

Mokuba sighed. "…It's… sort of like Santa Claus, Seto."

"…You know, I've never really understood that concept, either—"

"WILL ONE OF THE MAIDS PLEASE COME EXPLAIN TO MY BROTHER THE CONCEPTS OF SANTA CLAUS AND THE TOOTH FAIRY!" Mokuba bellowed.

Seto frowned as a maid appeared like a ninja and smiled at him. "…Wha-?"

"Tooth fairies, quite simply, are fairies that collect children's teeth after they fall out and leave a small amount of money in its place to congratulate children on growing a little older and a little more mature. It's a common practice. Depending on the family tradition, the amount of money the 'tooth fairy' leaves is usually between a quarter and five dollars. Of course, that was before inflation. Things may have changed. I'm sure, however, that you can just Google Santa Claus, sir," she explained, then disappeared just as quickly as she'd come.

"…Fucking _ninjas._" Seto scowled, then sighed and leaned his head on his hand. "Alright. Fine. Leave your tooth under your pillow. I'll be in to check if you're asleep soon," he sighed, looking back at his laptop. "So you better be asleep. You were supposed to be in bed a half an hour ago."

He really doubted that Googling Santa Claus would give him the answers to his questions, like 'why' and 'what the hell?'

Mokuba smiled and, knowing that he'd already stayed up past his bedtime (playing video games, but Seto didn't need to know that), nodded. "Okay, Seto!"

Seto listened to him scamper away and nodded in satisfaction, only to jump a few moments later when he noticed someone standing in front of his desk. "Jesus-!"

"I just wanted to make sure you realized that _you_ have to put the money in place of his tooth, sir," the maid added.

"How the _fuck_ do you even do that? What sort of ninja schooling is required to become a maid!" the brunet snarled, glaring at her.

She smiled. "If I told you that, sir, I'd have to kill you."

Seto blinked.

"…Have a good night, sir," she added, before leaving the room again.

…He was a little alarmed to admit that when she said she'd have to kill him if she told him, he believed her.

Seto sighed and looked back at his computer, then frowned. Perhaps he should have asked more questions while the maid had been there.

This was obviously not Mokuba's first lost tooth, but it would be the first he put under his pillow. Did children receive more for their first tooth, or did the amount of money received somehow deal with how many other teeth had been lost? What if he gave him too much for his first tooth? What if he didn't give him enough?

Shit! He only had a five and a ten on him! …Well, he had a couple of hundreds, too, but he sincerely doubted that a hundred dollar bill would be normal for a child to receive for a lousy tooth.

Sighing, Seto grabbed the five and hoped it wasn't too much. Then, he stood and made his way to his brother's room. He peeked inside and couldn't help a smile when he saw that his brother was out cold. He was always lucky in that sense; there was no 'in between' time for Mokuba where he was grumpy or confused. Lucky, lucky Mokuba.

"Ack! Oh, damn it…!"

Seto froze in the doorway, both terrified for his brother and confused by the strange voice. However, a moment later, he saw something pink come into view.

Was that a tutu?

He took a moment to examine the intruder, too stunned to take him seriously for a moment. After all, it was obviously a boy, but… he was wearing a pink dress and tutu. They sparkled with glitter. The tutu was barely long enough to cover his rump—in fact, bending over, Seto was treated to a glorious eyeful of yummy pink panties. Hmm.

There was a little crown on top of his golden hair. Huh. And that was a golden wand with a star on the end clenched tightly in his hand. And—wings? What? WHAT? SOMETHING DOES NOT COMPUTE.

Seto felt his jaw drop as the blond stranger tossed his long hair over his shoulder, allowing him a glimpse of a surprisingly beautiful face. A moment later, the blond moved over to his brother's bed.

That was too close. No. Absolutely not.

The intruder squeaked as he closed his hand around his wings and obediently allowed himself to be dragged out, for fear the delicate wings would tear or rip. Once he was out of the child's room and the door closed, however, he began struggling. "Agh! Lemme go!"

Seto felt the wings wrinkle under his grip and released them, instead wrestling the blond against the wall, using his body to pin him there. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm the God damn tooth fairy, ya dumb ass! …Stand-in tooth fairy!" the blond added as an afterthought. "My sister's sick, so she asked me t' take over for tonight, and I like kids, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem!" He paused, then scowled. "Ya wouldn't have manhandled my little sister like this, _would you?_"

"…Honestly, if a girl in a tutu came in, I'd probably figure it was a maid being silly. Maids are crazy, you know," the brunet muttered, scowling. "One threatened to kill me."

The fairy eyed him skeptically. "…And yet ya don't seem worried."

Seto blinked at him. "If they killed me, who would pay them?"

"…The scary thing is, you have a point," the blond mumbled, frowning.

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Of course I have a point."

"Yeah, well, will ya let me go now? I have like fifty other houses to hit tonight, and—" The fairy bleated in surprise as the human pressed closer to him, blushing as he became aware of just how muscular he was. "…I-I…"

"Why, mister tooth fairy, I do believe you're blushing," Seto cooed, then slid his finger over the blond's jaw. "Why is that?"

"I-I don't know what you're talkin' about!" The blond gasped as the teen's thigh slid between both of his own and began rubbing lightly. "Uh!"

"What's your name, little fairy?"

"Who you callin' little—ah! Uhn!" The fairy blushed a little more and whimpered. "If I tell ya, ya hafta stop doin' that-!" He squealed as the brunet caught his earlobe between his teeth and squirmed frantically. "Joey! My name's Joey! Oh, please, don't-!"

Seto slid his hand over the fluffy tutu and smirked. "Joey? Hmm, it suits you."

"Keep your hands off my dress! No! Off! And out! Stay out of my dress-! Eek!" Joey frantically shoved away the hand trying to slip up his skirt, then gripped his wand tightly and smacked the brunet in the face with the star on the end. "Get away!"

"Ow!"

While the human was momentarily stunned, Joey scampered out of his grip and down the hall, pulling a small purse from the pocket inside of his dress. "Shit, shit, shit!" He heard the brunet running behind him and squeaked, frantically shoving his hand inside and grabbing a pinch of glittery white powder. Turning to see the human leap at him, he yelped and hurriedly snapped his fingers.

Seto blinked as he was left with a handful of sparkles, standing up straight in confusion. So it really _was_ a fairy and not just some psycho stalker person. …Well, that was sort of a relief.

"Shit! I forgot the tooth!" Joey exclaimed when he realized he'd just reappeared in front of the child's door and would _continue_ to reappear there until he switched out the tooth with his magical coins. "Damn! Damn! –_Damn!_" he shrieked as the human slammed into him and tackled him to the ground. "Agh!"

The brunet raised an eyebrow and frowned. "You're acting like such a nervous little virgin. What are you, a twelve-year-old girl?"

"I'll have you know that I'm two hundred and sixty-three years old!" the blond spat, scowling.

Seto smirked. "That's okay. I'm not put off by older men."

"Older men-? Wait!" Joey gasped as the brunet's hands finally slipped under the skirt and held his hips tightly. "No! This isn't proper—and—oh, please! Oh!" He squirmed as one of the hands slid around to brush his thigh and bleated quietly. "Ugh! Please, fairies aren't supposed to—" He yelped as the brunet's hand cupped his crotch and blushed, anxiously banging his wand against the human's shoulder. "Let me go!"

"Why should I? Don't you like this?" The human nuzzled his throat gently. "It feels like you like it." He grinned as the blond shuddered and moaned, then caught the fairy's panties and tugged on them lightly. "Should I take these off?"

"No-! Please! I can't have sex when I'm on the job! Especially when I'm fillin' in for someone!" Joey sobbed quietly. "Oh, how are you doing that? No one's ever touched me like this! _I_ haven't touched me like this!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "…You've… never touched yourself like this?"

"Fairies are s'posed t' be pure and innocent until—until… Hnn…" Joey arched his hips into the touch and whimpered as his panties were slid over his hips and down his thighs. "Oh… What… Nn… What are ya… Gah!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto licked his lips and sat up, smirking as he admired the fairy's flushed cheeks and smoothed the tutu down. "Fairies are supposed to be pure and innocent until…what?"

"…Until we're called upon t' reproduce by the elders," the blond answered miserably, then covered his face in humiliation. "What'll the elders say about this!"

"…Don't tell them," the human suggested, raising an eyebrow. "What business is it of theirs?"

Joey sighed and sat up, using his want to smack the brunet in the face so he sputtered and jerked backward. "They probably already know. They have eyes _everywhere._ Oh, God, I just wanted t' do my sister a favor and I get molested and break abstinence laws as thanks for it!"

"…You could have pushed me away, struggled harder. I can tell you're stronger than this dress lets on, so you could have easily hurt me. I think you liked it," Seto whispered, smirking, and began to slowly crawl toward him again.

The blond's cheeks flushed darker as he took in the predatory look he was being given. "…I-it felt different. Not bad different, just… different. I just…Hn…" He leaned back as he realized the brunet was advancing on him again, wary that he'd touch him again. He squealed as the human lunged at him, but the noise was quickly smothered when the brunet's mouth crushed his own.

He struggled for a few seconds, startled and ashamed that he was curious to know what it felt like. However, when he felt the brunet's tongue slipping past his trembling lips, he mewed and allowed himself to kiss back; if he was going to get in trouble with the elders, he was going to do it thoroughly. He squeaked in surprise as the brunet gave him a short nip.

Then, he roughly shoved the brunet away, gasping. "Oh God, the tooth—I'm _working!_"

Seto chuckled as he watched the blond scurry back into his brother's room, grabbing the wand that he'd dropped, and got to his feet. "Yet so easily distracted…"

The fairy was back outside the room only seconds later, shutting the door softly before he turned and grabbed his hair in distress. "I hafta hit fifty other houses t'night and I'm _late!_ Damn it…! Where's my wand! Where's my fairy dust! I can't—Oh." Joey blinked as he found the brunet holding out his wand, then blushed as he reached out and plucked the pouch full of dust from inside his dress. Accepting both, he held them to his chest and looked away. "…Um… Thank you."

Seto smirked and brushed his fingers over the blond's cheek, tucking his hair behind his ear. "You know… if you ever want to learn more about your body like this again…" He leaned forward to peck the blond's red cheek. "All you have to do is come see me. I'll make you feel so much pleasure that you'll scream and scream until we both collapse on the sheets, and you'll come back for it again and again. I promise it will be good for you."

Joey blushed even more and shivered, peering up at him from beneath his eyelashes, then took a few steps back. "…I'll think about it," he whispered, then disappeared in another shower of sparkles with a snap.

The CEO was more pleased than he had been in quite some time. He only hoped that the blond would be curious enough to come back for more.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So the elders really yelled at you, huh?"

Joey frowned and stepped into some baggy pants. "Yeah. But I looked into the name first, so when I told them that he's not only a genius but talented in business and very caring towards his brother, they got interested in him. They think he might be a good human t' breed with." He snorted in disgust. "Breed. Not 'have a child with.' They keep it as impersonal as possible."

Serenity raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah. They're gonna do some more research on him, but… if they find he's satisfactory, they're sendin' Mai."

He didn't say what he really wanted to. He didn't say that he hoped Seto Kaiba would turn Mai away, saying he preferred a little fairy named Joey instead. But he knew that was a stupid thing to wish for, because Mai was much more attractive than he was, and Seto obviously didn't care who it was he had sex with, jumping him in the hallway outside his sleeping brother's door.

He'd just have to play it by ear now; he was under house-arrest, and he wasn't allowed out of his house for a month unless he wanted to be banished to the human world. He would not put his home and livelihood on the line for someone that he didn't know other than _'oh, yeah, that guy that molested me and made me question whether I really wanna stay celibate or not.'_


	20. Paint

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Paint

Seto watched the long, shiny sword being raised above his head, grinding his teeth against the gag in his mouth. He didn't know what these people were, but he was certain of one thing: These people were _barbaric._ He'd watched his traveling companions die in front of him one by one, and he thanked _God_ that he'd convinced his brother to stay at home for this trip. He didn't think he could stand to watch his little brother be callously slaughtered without going mad.

Seeing the sword coming back down, he bowed his head and closed his eyes tightly, biting back a scream. He would not give these people the satisfaction.

"_Ewynthem. CynEhyvahem?"_

Seto couldn't help the low keen of pain he felt when the sword missed, slicing his face from the corner of his eye to his chin.

"_Emtykenghem. Ellfendsumaisafurhem."_

He heard loud grumbles—angry grumbles, disappointed grumbles. He kept his eyes shut, waiting for his executioner to correct his mistake and wallop his head off. His breath hitched as he felt someone's fingers gently brush beneath his chin. _'Oh God they're not going to kill me they're going to torture me first,'_ he thought desperately, flinching away.

A pair of strong, calloused, and gentle hands cupped his cheeks, tilting his head upward. _"Ewun'thirtyui. Elltykacyraufyui. Duntwurro."_

Seto let his eyes flutter open hesitantly, feeling weak and tired; he hadn't eaten in days, and he was suddenly exhausted from all of the stress he'd been put through. He gripped the twine holding his wrists together behind his back with trembling fingers, looking up at the person speaking to him in what seemed to be a soothing manner.

The blond smiling at him had very tan skin, complimenting his chocolaty brown eyes. His cheeks were painted with a dark purple substance, a hook beneath each eye and three swirled lines like long whiskers flowing down his cheeks to his jaw. Long blond hair framed his face, laced with wooden beads and even a few feathers. Despite his resemblance to all of the barbarians that had screamed and thrown rocks at him, the blond looked comforting.

The blond traced the cut on his face carefully, muttering something in what looked like disgust.

He had no idea what the blond had said, but he could tell he wasn't going to die right now. Seto couldn't help a low rumble as he felt a sharp something cutting through the twine and releasing his hands, nearly falling flat on his face. Thankfully, the blond caught him, slipping his arms around his waist and carefully lifting him upward. He stumbled for a moment but eventually got his feet under him, allowing the blond to help him walk.

He didn't know where he was being led to, but he was too weary and discouraged to care, as long as it was away from the cold glares of the people that scorned him. He couldn't help a quiet whimper of pain as he was lowered onto something soft, his arms still numb from being behind his back all day and the rest of his body sore from neglect and a mostly stationary position. Feeling hands on his thigh, he reluctantly peeled his eyes open, peering up at the blond warily.

The blond—a healer, he guessed—smiled at him soothingly, whispering words he didn't understand but somehow realized were meant to comfort.

Seto groaned quietly as the blond's fingers dug into his leg, surprisingly gentle as he massaged his thigh. He felt his muscles relax under the gentle touch, and he reluctantly permitted the healer to continue. He was too exhausted to struggle, and the blond wasn't actually hurting him—had shown no signs of hurting him. He was thankful for the slight respite, despite the fact that he'd probably be tortured later, so he took the time to fall asleep.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_Feraflymaynd ferabirnmyka thamelluf mygectirn._

_Wurkthawell furwhechEpryo—_

_I-O DEEA HA HE HEY!"_

Seto frowned and slowly blinked his eyes open, taking a moment to figure out where he was. Then he remembered—the failed execution, the shaman that had saved him, the massage he'd fallen asleep to. Almost afraid to see what would happen next, he slowly rolled onto his back, then turned his head; he gasped at the scene he found.

It must have been dark outside, because the space they were in was illuminated only by the large fire some feet away. The blond that had rescued him seemed to be dancing around it, wearing a feathered headdress and skirt as he chanted something that the brunet couldn't understand but somehow knew was meant to help.

"_Wytarhaytynd wytarbuelmyka thamelluf mygectuel._

_Wurkthawell furwhechEpryo—_

_I-O DEEA HA HE HEY!"_

Seto watched the dark purple paint on the blond's skin ripple and roll with his movements, appreciating each slow twist and hop. He'd noticed that all of these people were muscular and lean, but this healer seemed especially so, his body and movements accentuated by the violet streaks across his body.

"_Ayrthwethuitynd ayrthwethenmyka thamelluf mygecspen._

_Wurkthawell furwhechEpryo—_

_I-O DEEA HA HE HEY!"_

The shaman threw a handful of some sort of herb or powder into the flames, making it flash bright green and pink for a moment. He turned toward the brunet sharply, not seeming surprised that he was conscious, then let his lips hesitantly twist into a shy smile. Walking over to kneel in front of him, he gently brushed the paste-covered cut on the brunet's face. He sighed quietly, then turned and picked up a large plank, bringing it to rest on his lap.

Seto couldn't help his nose wrinkling in disgust as he eyed the different things on the plank. None of it looked edible. There were some bright orange mushrooms that should be toxic by appearance alone, a green jelly-slime, what looked like a few large maggots, along with other various… things. He didn't even want to think about them.

The blond smiled and lifted one of the maggots, pointing at his own mouth. Then, he put it to the older boy's lips, murmuring something in his own language.

Seto grunted and jerked his head away. He couldn't understand what the blond said, but he'd understood what pointing at his mouth meant. He didn't like what he was thinking. He didn't like it one bit.

The healer frowned when he didn't cooperate, repeating what he'd said as he pushed the large bug closer to his lips.

"I'm not eating that," the brunet stated, glaring at him as he leaned his head back. "If you think for one second that I'll even consider putting that thing in my mouth—"

Unfortunately, the painted boy had grown tired of his speaking and shoved the maggot into his mouth. He didn't even flinch as the brunet instinctively locked his jaw, as if used to having people bite down on his fingers.

Seto gagged when he realized he'd bitten through the insect and choked the urge to vomit back down. He would have spit it out, but the shaman's fingers were still in his mouth, shoving the squishy bug in further, leaving him with no choice but to swallow or have the maggot literally shoved down his throat.

It was the vilest thing he'd ever eaten.

The blond smiled at him despite the disgusted sneer he was receiving and lifted the plank to show him the rest of the 'food' still on it. He said something and motioned for him to take it, pointing at the slime and smiling widely. Seto assumed that it meant that it was his favorite or something.

"_Joehatchoka! Joehatchoka!"_

The healer turned sharply, frowning, then set the plank aside and stood, walking over to the entrance of what Seto could only guess was a teepee. He pulled open the flap and stepped outside.

Seto listened to the words being spoken as he poked the plank the 'food' was on idly. He didn't understand what was being said, but he heard that the voice that wasn't the healer's was panicky and frightened. The blond's voice was calm and soothing in comparison.

The shaman poked his head back into the teepee, frowning, and said something. Then the door flap fell shut, and the brunet was left to himself.

Seto pondered leaving while the healer was gone, then immediately discarded the thought as useless. The other people would see him and kick up a fuss, and the blond would steer him back into the teepee—perhaps even restrain him. He'd have to wait until he'd gained the trust of these people, made them believe he was at home with them.

Once he was accepted, he'd be able to run away. It might take some time—more time than he wanted—but he could wait. He was nothing if not patient.

…Well, that brown, woody stuff didn't look so bad. And he _was_ hungry…

OH GOD IT WAS CINNAMON HE'D JUST BITTEN INTO CINNAMON BARK!

Seto gagged a little and spit out the bark. _'Fuck! Oh my God! Fuck!'_ He cringed at the residual taste. That was almost worse than the time he'd been dared to eat a spoonful of cinnamon at the orphanage! Why was it sitting there like it was some sort of food?

…He was better off eating the maggots.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Joehatchoka."

Seto glanced up from the nuts he had been "asked" to crush into a powder, raising an eyebrow. "Huh?"

The healer sat down next to him and patted his chest. "Joehatchoka."

"Joey-hatch-ochre?"

The blond frowned. "_Joehatchoka._"

Seto stared at him for a moment, blinking as the other boy repeated his name a few more times in a desperate attempt to make him understand. When the blond sighed in disappointment and ducked his head in defeat, he frowned. "…I'm just going to call you Joey. I don't think my tongue can make the noises you can."

The healer looked up at him hesitantly. "…J-Jo…? Noi-?"

"Joey," the brunet repeated, reaching out to pat the younger boy's chest. "Joey." He paused, then leaned back to pat his own chest. "Seto."

Joey's face twisted in confusion. "S-Saaaayyyy-toh?"

"No, no. Just Seto. Se-to. Say it. Se—" He paused to allow the blond to repeat what he'd said.

"…Saaayyy—"

"SE. Just _Se,_" Seto stated firmly, then lifted his hand to cup the blond's chin, squeezing his cheeks lightly to keep him from making an 'ay' instead of an 'eh.' "Se. To."

"…Seeeh…" The blond licked his lips nervously, blushing when he accidentally flicked it over the older boy's thumb. "Se-!"

"Right." The brunet nodded. "To. Se-to."

Joey mewed quietly. "Seeehhh-tooooh?"

Seto smiled and nodded. "Yes. Seto."

"…Se…to…" The healer looked up at him thoughtfully, peeking up at him through his lashes, then smiled shyly. "Set-to."

"No, it's—" The brunet sighed, lips quirking up into a defeated smile as he nodded. "…Close enough."

He was surprised by the contentedness he felt when the blond beamed at him proudly.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It was cute, the way the blond mumbled to himself, Seto decided, trailing behind the healer as he placed various plants in the basket he'd weaved earlier that week. He especially liked that every so often, the blond would turn to peek over his shoulder, eyes fluttering at him cutely. He'd smile and murmur a quiet _'tynmehk Seto'_ before he returned to picking his necessary plants. Of course, Seto didn't understand what 'tynmehk' meant, but he knew it was a term of affection, because he'd seen other people in the village call their significant others 'tynmehk.'

He was certain that Joey liked him—wanted to be with him—and he was finding himself wanting to explore that. The shaman was _certainly_ pleasing to the eye, and he liked the idea of having someone the villagers that had tried to murder him so revered squirming and screaming beneath him. Screams of pleasure, of course; Joey had only been kind to him, and he had no intention of hurting him.

Seto tilted his head as he heard the sound of moving water, then stopped, turning his gaze on the deep purple streaks over the blond's body. He'd never seen the shaman without them. Even when he went to go bathe, his clean body was always covered by fresh paint. It was a bit off-putting, making him seem higher than even Seto was in rank in the world.

He wanted to see him without that paint. He wanted to slide his hands over the uncovered, unblemished skin and listen to the blond make noises so erotic that Seto couldn't _help_ but take him. He wanted to make the younger boy squeal and mew as he defiled him and made him unable to walk the next day.

"Seto…?"

Seto blinked out of his daze to find the shaman looking up at him in concern. He lifted his hand to trace the thin scar that had been left after the cut he'd received had healed. "…Joey?" He tilted his head in the direction he heard the water coming from. He'd found himself more in tune with the things he heard since he'd been here.

Joey stared at him for a moment, unable to comprehend, so he tilted his head in the same direction, brows furrowing together as he listened for what the brunet was hearing. After a moment, though, he heard the running water. He looked up at the older boy thoughtfully, then shrugged, figuring that maybe he wanted a bath in more water than just the little creek his village used. He motioned for the brunet to follow him and led him over to the river.

Once there, he turned and looked up at his darling—or who he hoped would be his darling—smiling sweetly as he motioned toward the running water. "Lydeo."

"Lydeo-?" Seto repeated quietly, pointing at the river. When the blond nodded, he smiled, then began unbuttoning his shirt.

The shaman swallowed thickly as he watched the brunet expose his pale skin inch by inch, unaware of the way the older boy was smirking. After a moment, he set his basket on the ground and stepped closer, hesitantly reaching out to grip his shirt. "…Seto…?"

Seto paused, allowing the healer to paw at his buttons for a few minutes, then smiled a little and showed him how to slide the pieces of plastic out of the holes. "Like this."

"Dishet," the blond whispered in amazement, gazing at the expanse of pale flesh that was bared to him, then glanced down at the button on the older boy's pants. He peered up at the brunet thoughtfully, then looked back down at his fingers. Then, he fumbled the button open, smiling proudly when he finished, but was confused by the zipper that was revealed.

He assumed that 'dishet' was something that expressed admiration. In any case, Seto liked the expression of content and trust he received when he pulled the blond into his arms. He dipped his head to brush his lips over one of the painted stripes on the shaman's cheek, faintly tasting berries when he licked his lips, then kissed the corner of the blond's lips, smiling when he felt him tremble a little. "I won't hurt you, Joey."

Joey shivered at the gentle tone, then gasped as he felt the older boy's fingers slide under the top of his loincloth. After nibbling on his bottom lip a moment, he loosened the knot keeping the leather up and shimmied his hips, helping the brunet to shed the leather covering him. He blushed at the intense gaze he received and moved to step back, almost disappointed when the brunet allowed it.

Apparently, he hadn't been intent on letting him go for long, because Seto had barely stepped out of his pants before he'd gathered the shaman back into his arms. The brunet kissed him roughly, pressing him up against a tree, and gently stroked his side. Once he was certain the healer was breathless and dazed, he broke the kiss and motioned at the river. "Lydeo?"

Joey looked up at him with hazy eyes, lips already bruised and swollen. Once he understood what he was being asked, he smiled shyly and nodded, leading him over to the river and stepping into it. Once the water was up to their hips, he turned back to the older boy and peered up at him from beneath his eyelashes. "Tynmehk Seto."

Seto caught his lips in another kiss, sliding his hands down the blond's sides and over his hips to his thighs, thumbs tracing little circles, before he leaned back and lifted his wet hands to cup the healer's cheeks. "Joey…"

The shaman let his eyes drift shut as he felt the brunet's fingers gently rub the paint off his cheeks, feeling little rivulets of water run down his neck and slide down his chest and back. "Seto… Nn… Ah—"

Seto rinsed his hands in the water before continuing his self-imposed job, slowly rubbing all of the paint from the blond's lithe body. He started with his shoulders, then, all the way to the tips of the younger boy's fingers, then down his chest; after that, he washed his back, then his sides and stomach, until all of the paint was gone. He smiled as he took a step back to admire the bare flesh, stroking his fingers lightly over the tan skin glimmering with a faintly violet sheen from the residual paint. "Beautiful."

Joey blushed. He could only assume that 'beautiful' meant the same thing as 'dishet,' because the taller man was looking at him with obvious approval. He had never had anyone look at him like this. Occasionally he got a lustful glance from some of his people, but he was mostly too highly respected for anyone to 'distract' from his duties.

He felt naked without the paint, like his powers had been sapped away and had flowed into the older boy instead—man, really, now that he looked him over and realized that he would never look as beautiful or masculine as he did. He felt immature when he compared himself to the man in front of him, and suddenly he didn't know whether rescuing him had been a good thing, especially when he realized that even though he was muscular, he wasn't as muscular as the brunet.

Seto frowned in disapproval as the blond tried to cover himself and immediately reached out to grab his wrists. "No, don't hide from me." When the shaman whimpered anxiously and tried to move away despite the iron grip on his wrists, the brunet jerked him closer, sliding his arms around him quickly so he couldn't escape. "Shh. Joey. Calm down."

Joey moaned helplessly as he felt the brunet's thigh move between his own, eyes falling shut as he was gently pulled closer. "Tynmehk Seto… Ah… Ah-!" He gasped as he was pulled into another kiss, startled when he felt something warm and slimy slide past his lips. "Hn-!" Squirming anxiously, he mewed, but soon realized that it was the brunet's tongue—not something disgusting as he'd been imagining. Well, at least not quite as disgusting; he'd never had a tongue other than his own in his mouth, and it felt weird.

He mewed as he felt the older boy's tongue brush against his, twitching in confusion. When Seto continued to lick gently at his tongue, though, he hesitantly lifted it and slid it to poke the brunet's with the tip. He gasped as he was pulled closer to the pale man's body, eyes opening in surprise as the brunet sucked on his tongue.

Seto swallowing his startled mewls. He groaned quietly as the younger boy arched closer to him, then broke the kiss to move his lips next to the shaman's ear. "Relax. Just relax, Joey. You'll make me hurt you if you stay tense."

Joey bleated in complaint, understanding the soothing tone but unable to comprehend the words. He was frightened; he'd never done this before and Seto seemed so much more powerful and experienced—

"Shh. Calm down." The brunet pressed a light kiss to his lips, then leaned back, whispering, "Tynmehk Joey."

The healer gasped quietly and looked up at him in surprise. "Seto—"

His eyes were so… intense. So blue. Only a few of his people had eyes that were blue, and they had no hope of being this beautiful—ever. Joey shuddered, unable to look away, and could only fall against his broad chest as his knees gave out. "Ha-! Seto!"

Seto dipped his head to kiss him again, not breaking eye contact even for a moment. He could see that for the moment, the blond was calm, and he wanted him to stay relaxed. This eye contact, his soothing words, both helped to keep the younger boy pliant in his arms.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Nn… Tynmehk Seto…" The shaman lifted his head to catch the brunet's lips with his own, legs trembling as they were gently eased back into a standing position. "Nn!"

They felt rubbery, like wet noodles. He wasn't sure he could stand without the buoyancy of the water, let alone walk back to the village. He gasped as he felt the brunet step away and prepared himself to be let go to drop into the water, closing his eyes tightly. He gasped again in surprise as one of the older boy's arms slid under his knees, lifting him swiftly from the water, then looked up at him through his eyelashes, smiling shyly.

Seto smiled back at him, leaning down to brush a gentle kiss over his temple. "Tynmehk Joey. Dishet tynmehk Joey."

Joey blushed and giggled quietly as the brunet nuzzled his neck. When his feet were placed back on the ground, he leaned against the tree he was set against, watching as he went and gathered their clothes. He stepped into his loincloth obediently, then reached out to gently grasp the brunet's shirt, peering up at him bashfully. "Mendoe shivlo ndeeeee?"

"…You want to wear my shirt?" Seto asked quietly, then smiled when the blond pulled it from his hands. As the shaman shrugged into his shirt, he stepped into his own pants, then watched as the blond began fumbling with the buttons. He liked how the shirt fell to the younger boy's mid-thigh, suddenly feeling possessive of his bare body. He was usually distracted by the paint, but now that he wasn't wearing any, he didn't want anyone else to see the healer that way either.

The shaman looked up at him and blushed again, gripping the ends of the sleeves in his fingers tightly. Seto brushed his hair out of his face, then gently scooped the blond into his arms again, leaning down so he could grab his basket of herbs. He liked having the blond in his arms, snuggling against his chest. He realized that the rest of the village would probably never view him as anything more than a nuisance, but knowing that he had the shaman in the palm of his hand sort of made up for it.


	21. Oil Spill

Author's Note: As some background for the story, Seto's been finagled by his ecoscientist brother into helping gather stranded and sick animals after an oil spill on the coast. He finds more than he bargained for.

Also. Very short and sweet. AND ANCHOVIES.

* * *

Oil Spill

Seto sighed quietly as he set another oil-coated gull into another cage and watched as other people did the exact same thing. He'd never realized just how… _pathetic_… these creatures could be after being so tragically caught in one of humanity's problems. They couldn't fly, they couldn't swim, they couldn't clean themselves or eat anything. It was sad; he felt so sick to his stomach seeing these poor helpless creatures suffering because of human error.

They were mostly finished, though; any animals found after today would have to be brought in separately. They could only do so much to fix what had happened.

Sighing again, the brunet turned and began toward the jetty, even though it had been technically cleared; people had found all of the animals living there and captured them. But, he felt the need to circle around the end of the jetty just to check and make sure; the tide was out, after all, and he had the chance.

It had been checked thoroughly, though; he couldn't find any more sea creatures suffering from slicked-down feathers or gummed-up gills. Well, he'd just check that large patch of seaweed, just in case, because sometimes birds liked to hide there for safety—

Seto felt the breath catch in his throat when he saw the hand black with oil, then hurriedly began clawing the slick, black-stained leaves away; what sort of moron would just go and swim in the ocean when it was like this? He was relieved when the hand moved—it formed a fist, then relaxed—so the person was still alive. Tearing the blackened weed from the person's head, he let out a quiet gasp as he found hazy brown eyes staring back at him out of a smooth, otherwise pale face.

The boy's lips moved weakly, but he quickly shushed him in favor of tearing the rest of the seaweed off of him. Once at his waist, though, the blond grabbed his wrists in a surprisingly tight grip. "No!"

Seto blinked at him in confusion. "…W-why? You need help—"

"Please don't take me to the lab. I can't go to the lab—they'll do _things_ to me there!" the boy whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "I'll die in there and I'll never get to see my family again!"

"What are you talking about?" the brunet asked in frustration as he began yanking at the plant again. "I'm not taking you anywhere but the hospi—tal…" He trailed off as he saw the pale skin melding into dark scales. "…Oh God, _no._" Tearing the rest of the plant away, he could only gape as he saw the long, black, fishlike tail extending from the blond's hips downward.

The boy—obviously a mer-person, now—cringed and reached down to pull the leaves back over his tail. "P-please—don't tell anyone you saw me, a-and I'll figure it out myself—"

"You're hurt," Seto pointed out after a moment, gently taking the blond's arm and brushing his fingers over the scratches he found there. There were other patches of skin scratched open and sores exposed to the air.

"I-I couldn't see, and I ran into some barnacle-covered rocks—I-I just heard some of the fish screaming, and I had to come check it out—_Ah!_" The mer-boy turned his head away sharply and covered his mouth to try and muffle his cries of pain as the brunet tried to brush the sand out of his wounds. "That hurts!"

"Of _course_ it hurts; you're wounded, you moron. They're going to get infected." Seto frowned and brushed his fingers over the smooth scales, then sighed quietly. "…I'll go get my truck. Wait here, and I'll take you somewhere I can get you clean."

The blond sobbed and grabbed at him desperately. "Don't take me to a lab! They do terrible things to mers there! I-I don't want to be probed or electrocuted—"

"I'm not taking you to a lab," the human assured. "I'm taking you to my home. The hot tub will have to do; you'd never fit in the tub, and I couldn't hope to get you clean in the pool. Besides, I have no idea what the chlorine would do to your body."

"…Promise you won't take me to a lab?" the blond whispered, frowning. When the older boy nodded, he whimpered and allowed himself to be covered by the seaweed again, hiding him from any prying eyes and keeping him from drying out in the harsh sunlight.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh—that stings—" Joey trembled and clung tighter to the brunet, biting his bottom lip as he was dipped further into the cool water of the pool. "Do we really need to do this, Seto?"

"It's been two weeks since you've been in anything bigger than my hot tub. Yes, I want you to exercise a little before I take you back to the ocean," Seto stated firmly. "I've even changed it to salt water instead of chlorine."

The blond looked up at him pleadingly. "Please, Seto, I know I'm alright—"

"Then you'll be fine if I drop you."

The mer could only scream and flail as he was flung into the water, slapping into it in an almost painful manner. Once he realized he was underwater, however, he felt his body shift into its more aquatic form; webbing formed between his fingers as his ears grew into pointed fins, and he felt his lungs squishing as he became accustomed to breathing underwater again.

He swam a few quick laps—just enough to be breathing a little harder than normal—then surfaced again near where Seto had thrown him in and frowned at him. "That wasn't nice."

"I don't see you complaining," Seto replied, crossing his arms.

"…Well, that's true." Joey tilted his head a little, then smiled shyly. "Will you swim with me a little while, Seto?"

The brunet frowned; swimming with a mermaid—er, a mer, actually—was a once in a lifetime opportunity that he knew he'd regret turning down; however, he was getting plenty of pleasure just watching the clean, shiny black scales and pale skin zip back and forth through the water. "I'm enjoying just watching you."

"…Oh." The blond sighed and brought a hand up to hesitantly bite his nail.

Seto kicked off his sandals and sat at the edge of the pool, dangling his feet into the water. "May I see your hands?"

"Huh? Um, okay," Joey answered quietly, frowning in confusion, but offered him his hands nonetheless. He tilted his head as the older boy examined his hands only to giggle quietly when he lightly pinched and rubbed the webbing between his fingers. "That tickles!"

"Really?" The human reached out to gently fondle his hard, finlike ears gently. "Does this tickle?"

"Nyee!" The blond squirmed and giggled helplessly. "Yes! Let me go!"

Seto smirked playfully and caught his shoulders. "What if I don't want to?"

"Ah—Let go—" He squealed and jerked frantically to escape, accidentally dragging the brunet into the water as well. "Sorry, I—Oh!" Joey blushed as he was pulled up against the brunet's body and looked up at him in surprise. "…S-Seto?"

"…I think I've grown to care about you, taking care of you these past weeks," Seto stated quietly, then leaned his face into the blond's neck and sighed. "I'm taking you back tomorrow. If I didn't, I… I don't think I'd be able to let you go."

Joey looked up at him in confusion. He'd noticed that no one had come to visit the human while he'd been there; the most interaction he got was a few phone calls from his brother. He'd spent most of the past two weeks with him, actually, just talking or even just looking at him. He'd figured it had been a human thing, but… maybe it had been loneliness, the need to reach out to another person?

"…You know that keeping me would never work, don't you?" he asked softly, frowning. "Someone would find me and take me away. And this pool… it would never take the place of my home. There are no fish, no plants, it's not wide open… I could never live here with you."

"Hmm." Seto held him tighter. "'A bird may love a fish, signore, but where would they live?'"

Joey looked up at him again in confusion. "What?"

The brunet snorted bitterly and shook his head. "Never mind. I'll take you home tomorrow, Joey; I promise."

"…Alright," the mer replied, brows furrowing together. "…Seto, I don't understand—You're not a bird, and I'm not really a fish—"

"Shh." Seto pressed a finger to the blond's lips and couldn't help a sad smile. "I'm not asking you to understand. I'm only asking you to listen."

Joey sighed and laid his head on the brunet's chest. "I don't understand humans. You speak in riddles and try your best to confuse everyone—"

"I'm only trying to confuse you. And succeeding, actually."

"Ugh! Shut up!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto grumbled as he heard his doorbell ring and debated whether he truly wanted to get up. It had been six months since he'd taken the mer back to the sea (a cleaner part, not the still oil-contaminated one), and he was once again consumed with the thoughts of how lonely aloneness truly was. Perhaps he should get a cat, or something. Wait, cats were mostly independent and really only depended on their owners for food every once in a while. Well, screw that thought.

He scowled when he heard pounding on the door. He most definitely didn't want to get up now. However, he realized that the person didn't want to give up, so he forced himself to get to his feet and trudged to the door. He glanced to make sure he had some mace near the door just in case it was a rabid fan (he _was_ one of the most eligible bachelors, after all) or a particularly insistent salesman, then slowly opened the door.

When he found some familiar brown eyes fringed by thick bangs, he blinked. When he noticed the pale skin hidden beneath a thick sweater and dark jeans, he blinked again. "…What the hell?"

"I—The Great Turtle told me some things, and I—I practiced—" Joey blushed and lifted a hand to his mouth nervously. "…May I come in?"

"…Since I'm hallucinating, I can only say yes," Seto replied, then moved to allow him inside. "It would, after all, be rude to leave my hallucination out in the cold."

"But, I'm real!" The blond looked up at him in confusion, clearly intending to ask about what he meant, then shook his head and sighed. "Please, let me explain? I know I just swam away without waiting for us to say our goodbyes, but please, I had a reason!"

"What do you think about cats?" the brunet asked, scowling at him as he crossed his arms. When he saw the mer-turned-human shudder in horror, he smirked; he _had_ been hurt when the blond had swum away immediately after he'd helped him into the water, and he was happy to say that hurting and scaring the blond made the hurt a little better.

"I-I-!" Joey bit his bottom lip, then ducked his head. "…I-I went to talk to the Great Turtle—the most ancient one in the seas—a-and he told me… He told me the story of how mers came to be—the one where a human fell in love with a fish and turned himself into one to join the fish in the sea.

"A-and he told me another story—about how then a fish fell in love with a fowl, and how she forced herself into a form that she could take on land, and so I practiced—I practiced all these months just to be able to have legs! I-I can still turn into a mer, but I've got legs now! So—so I can stay here with you, and you won't be lonely anymore, and… and… you don't want me anymore, do you?" he asked quietly, frowning, when the older boy didn't respond. When he still received no answer, he let out a shaky sigh. "…I-I knew there would be a chance you wouldn't want me anymore, b-but I had to try."

He gasped quietly as he was suddenly tugged into the brunet's arms, blushing when he felt the older boy nuzzling against his neck. He wasn't given the chance to be truly embarrassed, however, because then his face was being tilted upward and he quite suddenly found himself being kissed. And being kissed _well._

Seto didn't ask for permission, because frankly he didn't care whether Joey wanted it or not. All he needed to continue was the hesitant tilt of the blond's head so that his mouth was closer, and he decided that was all he needed to shove the blond up against the door and thrust his tongue into his mouth. Unfortunately, the kiss had to be cut shorter than he would have liked; it was hard to kiss someone when they started giggling like a moron.

Frustrated, the brunet leaned back to glare at him. "What's so funny?"

"Your tongue. It felt like an anchovy had gotten stuck in my mouth!" Joey giggled nervously and looked away from him. "I've never been kissed like that before. It was slimy and kinda weird. Like an anchovy."

Seto blinked slowly, then tilted his head. "An anchovy?"

The blond blushed again. "…You know, the little fishies…"

He'd missed the point entirely. "When have you _ever_ had a live anchovy in your mouth?"

"…I've had a lot of live anchovies in my mouth. The point of eatin' anchovies is t' just swim through a school and voila! Mouthful of fish. They're squirmy until you crunch 'em." Joey frowned in concern as the older boy shuddered and moved away from him. "Seto? Seto, what's wrong?"

"Let's just… go buy you a toothbrush… and… Urgh…" Seto covered his mouth and pressed his other hand against the wall to steady himself. "Just… wait here a minute!"

The blond watched him dart into another room and slam the door in confusion. "Seto? Are you ok—" He flinched as he heard the other boy wretch and took a step back. "…Do ya need somethin'? Like, some seaweed, or—"

"JUST STOP TALKING, THANKS. UGH-!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…I guess I hafta stop talkin' about stuff I did in the ocean, huh?" Joey asked quietly, staring at his toothbrush as he tried to mask the sadness in his voice. Riding in the truck as a human felt much different from riding in the back as a mer. "'specially the games we played."

Seto sighed and glanced at him for a moment before turning his gaze back to the road. "You can talk all you want about things you did in the ocean. Just don't talk about eating live fish or anything like that. That…" He swallowed thickly. "…That was what made me sick. Just the thought of you—Oh God…" He slammed on the breaks.

The blond squealed as the truck was swerved to the side, falling against the door, then turned to give the older boy a reproachful look. When he saw that he'd paled and was staring intently at nothing, he realized he'd nearly gotten sick again. "…You guys don't eat live fish?"

"No, we kill them, gut them, and cook them. Our stomachs can't handle raw meat." The brunet took a few deep breaths before sighing quietly and turning to look at the mer-turned-human. "Can _your_ stomach handle raw meat, now that you've got legs?"

Joey frowned and brought a hand up to his lips. "I dunno. The Great Turtle said that the transformation should be complete, until I decided t' change back into a mer, but… I don't think I've completely mastered turnin' into a human." He looked up at the brunet in concern. "When ya kissed me, my knees went all wobbly. I think I need to practice changin' forms some more."

Seto blinked at him for a moment, surprised, before his lips twisted into a sweet smile as he pulled the blond into his arms. "No, it's normal for your legs to do that when I kiss you." He leaned down to give him a chaste kiss. "They'll probably do that for a while."

The blond mewed into another kiss before turning his head away, blushing. "…U-uhm… I… I know I shouldn't be askin' this, 'cause the Great Turtle said I should wait until we're sure we love each other—" He squeaked quietly in embarrassment at having said it aloud. "…B-but he said… he said that if we really l-love each other, you can do somethin' with my legs that'll make me so happy that… that all I can do is scream and cry?" He looked up at the older boy bashfully. "Do ya know what he was talkin' about?"

The brunet hummed thoughtfully, then nodded. "Yes, I suppose I do." He leaned down to kiss him again. "But let's just stick to kissing and holding each other for now, okay?" he added, turning back to the steering wheel. "We'll go buy some clothes for you tomorrow; I get paid the first and third week of every month from my trust, so I should have enough to buy you a decent wardrobe."

Joey blinked up at him in confusion, then snuggled up against his side. "Okay. I don't know what any of those things are, but I trust ya."

It was then that Seto realized just how much Joey had given up for him. Joey seemed like a social person, and he realized with a growing sense of loathing that he'd probably have to take Joey out so he _could_ socialize, maybe even introduce him to Mokuba's _friends_ (he used the term loosely, except for Yugi and Tristan, who actually seemed to like Mokuba as a person rather than a personal loan office).

Until then, he'd have to teach Joey all the things he had to know about human society. …Perhaps he'd even like to go see the animals that had recovered from the oil spill, because they were being released soon. Others were still a little too sick, but most of them were ready to go. Maybe Joey, a being originally of the sea, could help calm them…

He realized that keeping Joey with him would require a lot of work, but when the blond laid his head on his shoulder and heaved a contented sigh, he suddenly didn't mind.


	22. Prime Mate

Author's Note: So… animals. That's basically how demons are treated here. They're just as intelligent as humans, but they also act more on instinct, which makes humans think that they are "lower." And, since they're treated like animals, you also have people who abuse those animals (like puppy mills or dog fighting rings). Yugi and Joey are actually being kept in one of these places (it's both a puppy mill _and_ a dog fighting ring).

So basically _InuYasha_ turned slave ring. AND YES, BE AMAZED THAT JOEY IS NOT A SHY LITTLE VIRGIN THIS TIME. He's just a virgin.

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Prime Mate

Humans were _awful._ No—they were _evil._

Joey trembled as he felt Yugi licking his ears. His body felt like it was on fire. Why did humans make demons suffer through their heats instead of letting them mate and reproduce like nature intended? He felt terrible, and he knew Yugi did too—he just didn't suffer as much as Joey did; his heats as a wolf were milder and only came once a year. Joey had to suffer through them every five months. He just wanted to die—

Or have all of the heat humped out of him by a worthy stud. Either of the two sounded good. He would prefer being humped, though, if he had a choice. Few, if any, of his heats would end in pregnancy, and his pups would probably be sold off as soon as they were weaned. It hurt, knowing that he wouldn't get to raise his own pups, but _anything_ would be better than suffering through a week and a half of unbearable heat!

He yelped as a hand gripped his collar and tugged him upward. "Ahn! Ag!"

"They can't take you to fight! You can't fight like this! Joey, you'll die!" Yugi exclaimed, scampering after him as the human dragged him out of the cage. Of course, the human didn't understand, and even if he could, he probably wouldn't listen. Howling in distress as the door to the cage slammed shut behind them, he slammed his body into the chain links helplessly. "Joey! Joey, don't let him take you!"

Joey clawed at the human feebly, but he was too weak from the heat to do any damage. He would be forced into the fighting ring, unable to defend himself, and because fighting demons were trained early to fight to the death, he would be ruthlessly slaughtered.

He could only look at the bright side that at least he wouldn't have to deal with his heats anymore.

Joey bleated as he was thrown into the fighting ring, rolling across the dusty dirt floor, before stumbling to his feet and looking frantically for his attacker. He knew he wouldn't win, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

He whined quietly when he saw the brunet he was facing off against. He was much bigger, much more muscular. He was a wolf, much bigger than any captive wolf demon he'd ever seen, and he looked a lot angrier. His body was already splattered with blood, and as the blond looked around the caged-in ring, he saw the mutilated bodies of other demons—demons that hadn't been in heat and were stronger than him.

He was facing off against a wild wolf, one that had been captured and was angry and was using that anger to kill everything it could get its hands on!

Joey whimpered. His body had softened, his muscles shrinking to accommodate for pups and the necessary fat he'd need to keep both any pups he'd have and himself warm and healthy. He had no hope of defeating this angry predator, especially when all he wanted to do was drop and present himself to what his body recognized was a prime candidate for the father of his pups.

And, looking at those mutilated bodies, he realized that he at least wanted Yugi to recognize his body as it was carried through the pens to the incinerator outside.

Whining in defeat, he sank down, peering up at the wolf from beneath his bangs as he strained at the chain keeping him from leaping and tearing him to pieces. His ears twisted back and forth to listen to the murmur of humans watching him, hating them for somehow finding demons fighting to the death entertaining.

Then there was a snap, and a snarl, and Joey could only watch as the wolf demon leapt toward him. He let out a helpless yip as he was tackled backward, whimpering as his back was scratched against the barbs of the chain-link fencing surrounding the whole of the fighting ring. Feeling the brunet's powerful jaws closing on the back of his neck and shaking him roughly, he fell limp, submissively dropping his head and curling his tail against his belly.

The wolf shook him a few moments longer before slowing to a stop. After a moment, he dropped the blond, and the dog demon caught a glimpse of a baffled expression before he ducked his head again to show submission. The brunet sniffed his hair for a moment, then began snuffling down his back, his big hands grasping his hips firmly to turn him into a more accommodating position.

Realizing that the brunet had discovered he was in heat, Joey instinctively snarled and snapped at him, planting his rump on the ground to show he was _not_ receptive and if the wolf thought that _shaking_ him would encourage him to make puppies with him, he was sadly mistaken. "I think _no!_"

The wolf let out a grunt of displeasure at the snub. "I think _yes._"

Joey yipped as the brunet grabbed for him and scampered away, turning to glare at him as he planted his rear firmly on the ground again. "I don't even know your name! Ya just tried t' kill me!"

"…My parents called me Seto," the wolf stated after a moment, eyeing him thoughtfully. He prowled toward the blond and let out a quiet, soothing keen. "I promise I'll be a good mate. I'll provide for you and our pups—"

"You won't provide _anything_ here," Joey snarled, and he distantly recognized the confused murmurs of the humans; they'd come for a fight, but their argument must have been interesting after watching the wolf—Seto, apparently—slaughter all of the other demons. "Unless it's a good _show_ for the _humans._ We bend to their whims and hope they don't kill us."

Seto growled quietly, stiffening in affront. "The humans will not be able to keep me here. I've already killed two of them as they captured me, and another when they dragged me out here to fight. They will realize I'm not worth the trouble and release me."

"Unruly demons are _killed,_ not _released,_" the blond hissed. "Then they're burned to ash, and that ash is used in wards to guard against wild demons."

Circling the dog demon slowly, the brunet's lip curled upward. "You've obviously been in captivity too long. I'll take you with me when I leave."

"I was born in captivity! I would never survive!" Joey shivered in surprise when the brunet's tail brushed over his shoulder as he passed.

"Born in captivity? That would explain why you don't fight the humans." Seto narrowed his eyes. "If you fought them as hard as you fight demons, they'd fear you and treat you with proper respect."

"Or starve me until I started acting like a good little pet again!" The blond whined anxiously. "Just kill me and get it over with! I can't handle this waiting!"

The wolf demon showed his fangs briefly before ducking his head to look him over. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to make you my mate. Your body is begging for it, and I'm quite willing to give it what it wants despite your growling."

Joey flinched in surprise, then yelped as the brunet hurriedly circled around behind him and caught his hips tightly. He whined as he felt wolf demon's claws digging into his skin, then whimpered submissively, lifting his tail to the side to flag his acceptance. "If—if I get pregnant, ya _hafta_ take me with ya when ya leave," he stated, trembling anxiously. "Ya can't leave me behind."

The brunet growled. "I would never leave you behind."

"The demons that escape _always_ leave everyone else behind," the dog demon argued, before bleating as the older boy bent over him. "Ah-!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey bleated quietly as he felt the brunet pull away from him, but turned his head when he heard an aggravated snarl. He gasped as he watched the wolf demon snap and growl at the nearest human, watching intently as the human nearly lost an arm to the brunet's claws. Unfortunately, he was so engrossed in the battle in front of him that he didn't sense the other human coming upon him until it was too late.

He yelped as an arm looped around his waist, wriggling as he was hoisted over the human's shoulder. "Lemme go! Lemme go, bastard-!"

Seto turned sharply as he heard his mate's distress, then crouched, ready to leap on the blond's attacker. Just before he allowed his bunched muscles to uncoil, however, the human he'd been originally occupied with stepped up behind him and hit him in the back of the head with a club. It didn't knock him out, but it did knock him senseless as his ears rang. It was the second blow while he was stunned that knocked him out.

Joey squealed and struggled to go to him, but the human's grip was too strong. He was too weak; first his heat had drained him, and the mating he'd just been through had left him as weak as a pup. All he could do was howl and whine as he was carried out of the fighting ring, crying for the brunet to get up until he was out of sight.

He yelped again as he was thrown into a cage—not his own—and hurriedly began sniffing around. When he realized it was the empty pen next to the one he'd been sharing with his friend, however, and he saw him reaching through the chains to him, he hurried over to him. "Yugi!"

"I heard you screaming! What happened? How are you still alive?" Yugi asked quickly, frowning in concern. "Are you hurt? If you lean against the chains, I can lick your back for you!"

Joey blushed a little, pleased with the concern, then slowly turned and lifted his tail. "No, I'm fine."

Seeing that his friend had been defiled, the smaller demon could only scowl. "How'd you get lucky enough to find a demon that would rather fuck you than kill you?"

"You're just jealous because you're still in heat!" the blond retorted, then twisted his body so that he could lick delicately at the scratches on his hips. "And he wasn't just fuckin' me! He claimed me as his mate!"

Yugi gasped. "Jealous! Was it that Siegfried guy? I know _he's_ been giving you the eye. Or that other guy, what was his name?"

"Duke decided he'd rather have Tristan's ass than mine. Besides, the humans want them to breed, anyway." Joey looked up at the other boy happily. "He's a _wild_ demon, Yugi. He killed two of the humans that were capturing him and one of the holders here!"

The wolf demon frowned immediately. "A wild demon? Joey, do you know how dangerous wild demons can be? And they have a higher fertility rate; they breed easier than captive demons. The humans didn't want you to breed! What happens if you get pregnant?"

He hadn't thought of that. Cringing a little, he curled up against the fence, sighing as his friend did the same so they could share what little warmth they had. "…Only wild demons have higher fertility rates, Yug'. I'm a captive demon. The… the vet said that it would be a miracle if I ever had pups, my family's so inbred. It was amazing my ma even had my little sister!"

Yugi managed to lick the blond's ears through the fence. "I'm sorry. You always _have_ wanted pups, haven't you?"

Joey sighed and curled closer to the fence, knowing he didn't have to answer; his friend already knew that he adored pups, and had been heartbroken after the vet examined him after he reached sexual maturity only to find out that he wasn't a good prospect for pups. He hoped that the wild wolf would forgive him for not telling him that, but he'd wanted so badly to be fucked, and the brunet had had such a silky tongue, telling him things he wanted to hear…

The smaller demon whined when he realized how miserable he'd made the blond feel by mentioning his infertility. "I'm sorry, Joey. I didn't mean to…"

"I know."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto snarled as he was thrown into another cage, turning to leap at the door immediately, but it was slammed shut in his face and locked with a padlock. He slammed his body into the fencing a few times, but soon realized his actions were futile. Snorting in disgust, he turned to eye his accommodations, head still throbbing from being knocked out earlier.

He had not enjoyed coming back to consciousness just to feel something stabbing into his ass. He didn't know what the humans had injected, but he _did_ know that if they ever pulled that stunt again, he was at least ripping off their penises if he couldn't kill them.

Seto growled as his eyes landed on another demon, ready to rip it to pieces in a territorial fight, but calmed when he recognized the big golden ears and amber eyes of his mate. Tail wagging slightly, he prowled over to him, taking that time to examine his mate's body for injuries in case he needed to deal retribution to the humans that had taken him away.

The scratches on his hips and back seemed to be healing alright. He didn't see any other bruises or scrapes. He looked healthy.

The blond ducked his head submissively, unable to help a relieved smile. "You're okay."

"They stuck something in my ass," the wolf complained, but leaned down to lick the blond's cheek gently.

"Probably a rabies injection." The younger boy turned to his friend. "They do that to all the demons they get, right?"

The smaller wolf grumbled at being woken from his doze but nodded. "A shot to keep you from getting rabies and a shot to kill parasites like worms and fleas." Seeing the brunet's confused expression, he explained, "It makes your blood unappetizing for fleas and poisons any worms you might have in your digestive system."

"…Who are you? Must I fight you to keep my mate?" Seto was disgruntled, to say the least. "Or are you simply here to be an annoyance?"

"I'm not going to fight you for him. I'm in heat and really in no condition to do much of anything. …My name's Yugi. Joey never told me your name."

"Seto." The brunet dipped his head to lick his mate's ears.

Joey blushed a little, unable to help a smile as the wild wolf snuffled down his back. "See? Ya don't hafta worry about me, Yug'. He's kind t' me." He yelped as he felt the brunet nosing under his tail and jumped, turning toward him in affront. "What the hell are ya doin'?"

"I didn't get the chance to clean you back here before the humans got me," Seto stated curtly, then glared at him. "Present yourself so that I can do it properly."

The blond huffed, looking as if he might argue, then grumbled and propped himself on his knees, leaning forward on his elbows obediently as he lifted his tail out of the way. "So _bossy._" He couldn't help a kittenish mewl of approval as the brunet began cleaning him. He would have asked Yugi to do it, but he knew it was the mate's job to clean him, and he was glad he was finally there to do it.

Seto couldn't help his tail wagging as he listened to the blond mew and purr as he licked him. He spared a warning growl as he heard something near the door to the pen, but he was too busy pleasing his mate to care when the door didn't open.

Joey mewed again, ears perking up when he saw the two bowls of food that had been left. Standing up despite the warning growl his mate gave him, he made his way over to the bowls, feeling ravenous after the stressful day. He tilted his head when he found something different in his bowl—some sort of vegetable, he assumed—then shrugged and dipped his head to begin eating.

He yelped as the bowl was swatted out from under him, shattering on the floor and splattering its contents outside the door. He stared, both stunned and horrified. If there was one luxury they got as captives, it was a decent meal at the end of the day. It was almost sacred; everyone had their own bowl and no one ate more than their bowl unless it was offered. But… but his mate… his mate had just shattered his bowl!

Turning toward the brunet angrily, he snarled. "What the hell do you think you're doing? That was my dinner!"

Seto snarled as well, baring his teeth in a sneer. _"_Oh, so you _want_ to kill our puppies, is that it?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Last I heard, pups need food too!" Joey's ears twisted back in fury. "Why did you do that?"

"They were feeding you something that's bad for puppies! Do you _want_ them to die?" The brunet was just as angry.

Unfortunately, he was talking to a captive demon; if the humans didn't want him to have puppies, he wasn't going to question it, instead choosing to remain docile so that he wouldn't be killed. On top of that, he doubted he was going to _have_ puppies. The vet had said, after all, that he was basically infertile, and the chances of conception were slim. On top of that, the brunet had ruined something deemed sacred to captive demons; humans hated to replace bowls.

"I wasn't going to have puppies anyway!" He was unable to help it; he knew he should have been gentle in telling the brunet that he wasn't going to be having puppies, but he was angry and hurt and hungry.

Seto didn't understand what he was hearing, since puppies were just as sacred to him as bowls were to captive demons, and that just made him angrier. "So you were going to terminate them? Just so you wouldn't have to have them?"

The blond growled. "I'm not fertile! I go through heat, but the chances of conceiving are slim to none!"

"…And you didn't think to tell me this before?" the wolf roared.

"When? Between when you were sweet talkin' me and fuckin' me? Ya didn't leave a lot of room for it!"

"You greedy _bitch!_ If all you needed was a good fuck, you could have gotten it from someone else! If I'd known you were a barren bitch, I would have just killed you and been done!"

Joey flinched, eyes filling with tears as his tail curled under his belly. "…H-how could you say that to me? All I wanted was… And you just…" Ears wilting in distress, he let out a sob, then scurried over to the corner furthest from him and curled up into a ball.

Yugi, who had watched the altercation in stunned and horrified silence, hurried over to his friend, reaching through the links to gently pet his tail. When the blond only cried harder, he let out a whine, then turned a glare on the irate wild demon. "How dare you insinuate that he just wanted a fuck! He wants puppies more than any demon I know! Do you know how heartbroken he was when the vets said he was basically infertile? He came back to our cage and cried for _days!_"

His own eyes filled with angry tears. "The only thing he had to look forward to was taken away! Just because he said he probably wasn't going to have puppies doesn't mean he didn't desperately want to have them! I have never seen him cry over anything but puppies, and for you to just tell him that you'd have killed him if you'd known—" It wasn't fair. His friend wanted puppies _so badly_, and he couldn't even count on having them because of the inbreeding the humans had forced on them. "You could have just revoked your mating and not have hurt him worse!"

Seto frowned as the smaller wolf snuggled close to the fence and began whispering what he could only assume were words of comfort. As a wild demon, he couldn't have revoked his mating in good conscience, unless his bitch proved an adulteress, and he had to admit that blaming the blond for something he couldn't control had been rather cruel.

He hadn't realized that the blond had still wanted puppies despite the likelihood that he wouldn't have them, since he'd said it so (seemingly) carelessly. He hadn't even realized that his mate _could_ be infertile. In his opinion as a wild demon, the blond was a prime candidate for making puppies; he was strong, had good instincts, seemed to have a motherly spirit, and had wide hips helpful for birthing. It hadn't occurred to him that humans wouldn't view him the same way, and would actually breed demons callously until they stopped being able to reproduce.

He'd been so kind to his mate, trying to protect him, making promises never to leave him. All of the good things he'd done had immediately been erased by his hurtful words. He'd shown his mate he was disgusted by his infertility—something he had no control of—and now _he_ was the bad mate for not gathering all of the facts before he started snarling.

Joey hadn't fought him all that much, meaning he must have found him an acceptable stud, too, in terms of mating and breeding. He'd basically slapped him in the face, saying that while Seto was the ideal male to mate with, Joey was as far from ideal as one could go for a bitch. And, judging by his age and physique, he hadn't been fucked by any other demons, for mating _or_ breeding. He was a demon kept purely for fighting until he somehow managed to slip up and lose; then, he would be burned to ash.

And Seto had only served to affirm to the captive demon that that was all he was good for—fighting, dying, and having his body burned to ash so it could protect the humans that had only seen him as cheap entertainment.

He felt terrible.

Seto whined quietly and edged closer to the blond, finally leaning in to nuzzle his trembling side.

He only received a miserable howl before the dog demon got to his feet and hurriedly scampered to the other corner nearest the fence. He turned a wet, betrayed gaze on him that made him feel even guiltier, then curled up into another ball and began to whimper wretchedly.

Seto sat down and let out a frustrated sigh as he watched Yugi crawl over to lie next to him again, flinching a little under the dirty look he was given. His cousin had always told him that his sharp tongue would get him in trouble one of these days. He hadn't realized just how much trouble that could be.


	23. Desk Duty

Author's Note: …I just realized how much of a stalker I made Seto Kaiba. Though in all honesty, in real life, he probably _would_ be a stalker. **:|**

This is a… gift fic? Maybe? For Willowsnake? I don't know what it is. It's not a collaboration, I think, since I wrote it, but she gave me a lot of ideas. And she's hella excited for it.

Also, has anyone else ever noticed how much sex there is in mythology? I have. I mean, yes, there's a lot of innocent, non-sexual stuff, but… Look back in your mythology text books. SO. MUCH. SEX.

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Desk Duty

Joey sighed as someone cleared his throat in front of his desk and shuffled some of his papers aside. "Listen, my desk is closed, and I'll be leaving in a few minutes. I'm sure one of the other underlings can help yoooo…" He trailed off as he looked up and was met with familiar blue eyes narrowed at him in a glare. He looked the man up and down in confusion, then slammed his hands on his desk, standing in outrage as he roared, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

"You tell me," Seto replied, arms crossed over his chest. He eyed the blond's body up and down, raising an eyebrow as he took in the differences. Never, in his wildest dreams (and he'd had quite a few wild dreams), would he ever have imagined that Joey was a demon.

Though still tan, the blond's skin was now decorated suggestively with swirling black lines; the tattoo was relatively simple, just a few curved lines that traveled over his hips and swirled over his pelvis before dipping coyly beneath the hem of his leather pants. The pants themselves looked painted on, leaving little—if anything—to the imagination and exposing long, lean legs that Seto suddenly found enticing. A pair of small, leathery black wings flapped in agitation as the blond lifted his hand to scratch the tip of one of his horns.

"…Alright, gimme yer papers," Joey grumbled, sitting back down and snatching the papers out of the brunet's hands. "How'd ya die, anyway?"

"I think I was shot." Seto shrugged. "I couldn't really tell you because it happened so fa—"

"…You're s'posed t' be at the other office." The blond frowned, reading over his papers carefully. He reached over to grab a magnifying glass, quietly cursing the fine print that came along with souls that didn't work on a karma based system. Squinting one eye, he peered through the glass. "Says here that ya _were_ shot. Your heart stopped, but they were able t' resuscitate ya, and your body's in a coma in the hospital. You're s'posed t' be in DOS."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "DOS?"

Joey's sour expression in response to his question made him feel as if he'd just asked a stupid question. "The Department of Outgoing Souls. _This_ is the DIS—Department of Incoming Souls."

"Listen, mutt, I just came where that idiot directing souls told me. He said to go this way, so I came, and I didn't really know it was you when I walked up to your desk," Seto explained defensively, glaring at him.

"Whatever. Since I know ya and I respect ya enough despite the fact that you're a total dick, I'll take care of this for ya," the blond replied, waving at the papers in front of him. "Ya have terrible timin', Kaiba. I was just about to clock out for the weekend."

"I'm _so_ sorry my almost-death is putting you out, mutt." He frowned when the blond didn't rise to the bait again. That was really the only reason he called him names. "What, are you thinking so much that you're not even concentrating on what I'm saying enough to realize you're being insulted?"

"Oh, I hear ya alright," Joey sighed, placing a "Next Receptionist, Please" sign on top of his desk. "However, this is _Hell._ Hell is endothermic; it creates its fires and heat from the anger and hatred that demons either feel themselves or absorb from humans. I can't get pissed down here." He smiled wickedly as he walked around the desk, motioning for him to follow him. "_Sorry,_ I guess you'll just hafta find a different way t' rile me up!"

Seto raised an eyebrow, then glanced down at the small of the demon's back, the two thick lines that were the base of his tattoo curving down to dip below his pants and—logically—meet each other just above his ass. "I can think of a way."

"Huh-? _Gah!_" The blond squealed in surprise as the human gave his ass a slap. Turning to face the brunet in surprise, he blushed when the older boy only smirked at him lewdly. "Oh, just—just come on!" he exclaimed in embarrassment, storming out of the room and cringing as he heard the laughter of various incoming souls and demons.

His wings pressed close to his back in embarrassment. He wasn't supposed to feel this sort of humiliation down here; this was where he was supposed to feel safe, where he couldn't be ridiculed or made fun of—where _he_ was in power. Yes, he may have been low on the scale of power, but there were others even lower than he, and his position was at least respected by his peers. Unfortunately, he felt as if all of that respect was draining away.

All of his anger kept being sucked away, so he couldn't justify any lapse in control that would allow him to just… smack the other man. On top of that, he knew he'd be reprimanded for abusing a soul that would be returning to the human world, so he couldn't do anything to stick up for himself other than hiss and spit like an angry cat—at least until he was promoted to a level where other demons usually turned a blind eye. It wasn't fair. _It wasn't fair._

Shaking off his frustration, Joey motioned for the brunet to sit down in one of the chairs lined up against the wall, shrugging when the human shook his head to show he'd rather stand. He made his way over to one of the desks that wasn't as busy as the others. "Akio, I have a problem here."

"Oh, damn it, why do you always come to _me?_" the red-haired demon sighed, scowling, then snatched the papers out of the blond's hands. "What the hell is this?"

"Ehm, Kaiba is actually an outgoin' soul, but his papers have been stamped 'incomin'' even though the _fine print—_" The blond gritted his teeth momentarily. "—Clearly states that he's outgoing."

Akio snarled and put on his reading glasses, flames licking at his lips. "It's the fucking fine print! You'll notice this never happens with _karma based_ souls!" He skimmed some of the lines, then sighed and glanced up at the blond. "This will take some time, but considering that he's outgoing instead of incoming, this should move fairly quickly. It will take a couple of days, tops."

"A couple days-! What the hell am I s'posed t' do with him? This wasn't covered in orientation!" Joey exclaimed in frustration.

The redhead shrugged carelessly. "Not my problem. You live in one of the employee boarding units, don't you?" he asked, looking up at him again. "Just let him stay with you. He doesn't look like too much trouble, other than he's giving off the hornies like whoa."

"The hornies?" The blond frowned in confusion. "Shouldn't that be absorbed-?"

"No. _Anger_ and _hatred_ are absorbed by hell. Arousal is not; if demons didn't have _something_ to look forward to, they wouldn't want to work, and so we're allowed that pleasure. Now if you don't want to deal with his hornies, drop him off at a succy's door."

Seto glanced back and forth between them, feeling a step behind in the conversations. "What are… 'hornies,' exactly?"

Joey turned toward him and crossed his arms, scowling. "It means he can see your sexual arousal, stupid."

The brunet raised an eyebrow and glanced down at his pants. "Hmm?"

"…In your aura! The sexual arousal in your _aura!_" the demon exclaimed in embarrassment. "Gah! Why didja need t' _look!_"

"…I had to make sure."

Akio rolled his eyes and placed the papers he was holding in his 'urgent' box. "I'll make sure to take care of this as quickly as possible. But since I'm doing you a favor, I expect you to be my slave for as long as he's here."

The red-haired demon shuddered as he suddenly sensed a killing intent. Even as the intent was dulled by the powers of Hell sucking the anger away, he glanced up and locked gazes with the brunet. He saw a possessive anger that even some mated demons couldn't manage to convey when they saw their partners flirting with other people; it was an anger that, despite being absorbed by Hell, was replaced by more anger and hatred so quickly it could fuel the fires that tortured souls for years on end.

He felt he was truly going to die if he didn't get himself back into the brunet's good graces.

"And by my slave, I mean my runner. You'll deliver things for me and grab coffee for me and stuff like that."

Joey blinked at him in confusion. "…I know that. It's only like the millionth time."

Akio squeaked quietly as the anger that had been ebbing away was replaced with a jealous fury that nearly had him quaking in his seat. "W-well, you better get going. I have a lot of work to do and aren't you off duty anyway? You could get in trouble for doing this while off duty!"

The blond stared at him for a while, baffled by his superior's odd behavior, then shrugged, smacking the human's arm as he turned. "Come on. I'll show ya where you'll be stayin'."

Seto gave the redhead a long, deadly stare even as he turned to follow the blond. "Alright."

The demon couldn't help shrinking in his seat.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto gazed around the room he'd entered blandly; he wasn't used to such meager lodgings, but he supposed that it was an okay place to stay for a couple of days. And, as he saw the blond bend over to drag some extra blankets out from under a table behind the couch, he decided that sometimes, the view could be excellent.

It was a simple little place; there were only three rooms. The main room was both a bedroom and living room, with a couch that he saw could fold out into a bed of decent enough size that they could both fit comfortably. There was a small TV pressed up against the opposite wall, and between the two was a glass coffee table that would probably be pushed up beside the TV to make room for the bed.

He leaned around to glance into the kitchenette. It was small; really just a counter with a small stove and a microwave/confection oven on it. The cupboards had no doors, showing off different boxes and cans of food. There was a minifridge and a small dishwasher tucked beneath the counters, and at the corner where the counters curved was a sink that was really too small to do any dishes anyway. There was a small table set up with a couple of folding chairs.

Once his examination of the kitchenette was complete, he turned his attention to what he could only assume was the bathroom. Walking over to the third and final door, he raised an eyebrow as he glanced inside. "Whoa."

The bathroom was certainly more luxurious than the other two rooms combined. It had a large gothic tub on one side, its golden clawed feet curling into the tiles themselves. It appeared to have enough room for two people, as did the large shower on the other side of the room. It had several different faucets for water to come out of, and the temperature looked to go quite hot. There was no curtain; only a sheet of glass that served as a door, and he realized with a sudden feeling of malicious glee that if the blond chose to take a shower and kept the door open to let the steam out, he could get quite the eyeful of Naked Demon.

He was quite curious about that tattoo that dipped so coyly beneath his pants.

Of course, in the back, there was a toilet and a modest sink. He had to wonder about why the bathtub and shower were so nice while the rest of the little apartment (one out of identical hundreds, Joey had explained) was so meager and only served its basic purpose. He leaned back and glanced at the blond thoughtfully.

"Why are the shower and bathtub so nice compared to everything else?" Even the toilet and sink seemed out of place with the two cleaning implements.

Joey frowned as he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. "Cleanliness is really important down here. I'm not high enough in rank t' torture people, but since ranks are mixed up for diversity in housin', all of the apartments hafta be the same. Torturers get a lot of blood all over themselves, and the stench of blood is just too much t' be on a demon all the time. We'd get sick." He glanced up at the brunet and frowned. "Besides, not all demons are the same. Some have tails, some have horns, some have wings, and some have different mixtures of the three. My wings are mini now, but when I wash 'em, I hafta let 'em grow t' their full size to clean 'em properly."

Seto sat down beside him, leaving a respectful distance between them as the blond already seemed wary of him and the apparent 'hornies' he was giving off. "That's not their real size?"

The blond snorted and looked back at the TV, rolling his eyes. "Of course not. If I'm not flyin', their real size gets in the way of things. I knock stuff over and generally make a mess, and I hear all the time about newbies that accidentally get their wings stuck in the shredder. Luckily, I've always paid attention t' the shredder, but I did almost get my tail cut off by a paper cutter once."

"Hmm. Glad your tail's okay." The brunet glanced down at the tail that had wrapped idly around its owner's thigh. "Do you always curl it around like that?"

"Yeah. It keeps it outta the way, and it's usually how I hide my tail when I'm chillin' at home in the human world."

Seto frowned. "Why do you live in the human world if you're a demon, anyway?"

Joey shrugged. "There are always demons in the human world. It was decided that I have a human compatibility rate over sixty percent, so I've been living with humans so I can be a go-between for the human world and demon world. The HDRD needs demons with human experience." He glanced at the brunet, then added, "Human-Demon Relations Department."

"Ah." The brunet quickly grew bored with the show on the screen (some horror show, as he watched the stereotypical Blonde Bimbo scream before she was stabbed to death), so he glanced around the room, frowning when his eyes landed on something leaned in the corner. "What is _that?_"

The demon turned to see what he was looking at, then snorted. "That's a spreader bar. Ya know, for sex." He waved vaguely at the ceiling above them, where a chain was hanging from a metal bracket bolted to the ceiling. "The demon that lived here before me was a succubus with a bondage kink. I just figured I'd keep it around in case I ever decide I wanna get lucky or somethin'."

Seto glanced at the TV again (some jock-like moron was being dismembered by a chainsaw), then turned his gaze back on the blond, allowing his imagination to run wild for a moment.

The idea of Joey hanging from that spreader bar, legs spread lewdly as he squirmed to be free, was surprisingly sexy. Especially when he also imagined a riding crop (his appreciation of which he blamed and damned his step-father for) striking across the lovely pale globes of his rump, leaving thin red welts in its wake.

Oh, God, he was a pervert. He was sort of ashamed of that fact sometimes, if only because when he'd voiced fantasies to past partners, they'd been uncomfortable, and soon after the relationships had terminated.

Whether they'd ended because of his perversions or because he'd realized that everyone he seemed to choose was a money-grubbing whore was still under debate between Mokuba and Roland.

"…So… can _you_ see my arousal?" Seto asked thoughtfully.

"No. I've been taught about the auras of people in their bodies; you're just your spirit down here, so your aura moves a lot more and I haven't had enough experience readin' the auras of souls. Besides, all I hafta do is stamp 'received' and direct souls t' the right room t' wait for someone t' come lead 'em t' their respective pit." Joey scowled and crossed his arms. "For the love of Pete! What sort of moron goes into the basement after their friends have been killed! Run the fuck outta the house!"

The brunet watched blood splatter onto the screen and raised an eyebrow, then turned his gaze on the demon again. "…So do you have sex often?"

"No, I said if I ever _decided_ I wanted t' get laid. All the other demons think I'm too scrawny or too low on the peckin' order t' sleep with. If I wanna get laid, I'm stuck with humans or demons even lower than me. Honestly, I don't care as much as you seem to. I don't get what all the hype's about. I had sex once and it was terrible."

Seto pointedly ignored the pang of disappointment that his puppy wasn't a virgin. "Oh?"

"Yeah. She didn't like it and I didn't like it and we both agreed not t' speak of it ever again."

Hmm. Not girl-virgin anymore, but still man-virgin. He could deal with that.

Joey narrowed his eyes as he watched blood splatter everywhere. "Dumbass." Clicking the TV off, he muffled a yawn, then glanced at the brunet tiredly. "Listen, I was honest when I said I was clockin' out. I was workin' overtime t' take care of someone's shift. D'ya mind if I turn in?" He glanced at the TV and frowned. "You can watch TV if ya wanna, as long as it's turned low. 'nd… I don't have an extra futon, and the sofa-bed's big enough…" He scratched his cheek nervously and blushed.

Seto did some quick calculations. He could always have his way with the blond while he slept and feel like a complete jerk afterward, or he could cop a feel while he was pretending to sleep under the guise of a being sleep-cuddler and feel like a mastermind instead of a horrible pervert!

The decision was obvious. "…I've found today very tiring. Do you mind if I just go to sleep right now?"

The blond frowned thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head. Well, Seto _had_ died recently (and being resuscitated would be even more tiring), and then found out he'd been given all the wrong directions. Not to mention he was stuck down in Hell until everything was straightened out. He realized that that might be tiring.

"…Nah, I guess not. I snore, though." Joey stood and casually yanked the human off the couch, tossing him to the side, then began removing cushions and pulling out the mattress.

Seto was almost offended, but when he saw the blond bend over to begin tucking in the blankets beneath the mattress, any ire he felt faded. _'Oh God I hope I don't get a nosebleed.'_

The demon's pants were so tight that they seemed like a second skin. That gave him the perfect view of the soft round cheeks of what looked like a nice, firm rump. …Could a butt be both firm and soft? Was that possible? He'd felt it give beneath his hand, but he couldn't imagine someone as active as Joey having flab in _that_ particular area. His stomach might get flabby, certainly, but not his butt.

What was _this?_ …He loved how tight the blond's pants were. He especially loved that they were leather, showing off every dip and curve.

Because it also showed that the demon was not wearing _any_ underpants.

"I've only got one pillow. You can have it if ya want, Kaiba." Joey tossed the pillow onto the bed and sighed, ruffling his hair in frustration. "Gah. I gotta grab a shower first; I feel grimy. Go ahead and sleep, Kaiba. I'll be sure t' be as quiet as I can when I come t' bed."

Seto had the fleeting urge to say, 'you can do more than come to bed,' but he decided the blond wouldn't appreciate his come-on, so he just nodded and crawled beneath the blankets. "Alright." He listened to the blond go into the bathroom, only mildly disappointed when he heard the door shut, then let his eyes drift closed.

The pillow smelled like Joey. He moaned quietly, taking a deep whiff of the blond's scent from the pillow. It smelled like his soap, rose sandalwood, sweet and musky. It was called Sensual Amber. He knew that, because he'd searched for _days_ to find that exact same scent, spending so many hours in Bed, Bath, and Beyond; Bath & Body Works; and various perfume departments that he'd felt he'd had a never-ending migraine during his entire search.

He had succeeded in finally putting a name on the blond's scent, however, and he was quite proud of that. He'd bought a few bottles, and had even gone so far as to dab a little of the perfume (not cologne, _perfume_) onto a little stuffed dog that he'd sleep with.

…Good God, maybe _that_ was why his relationships never lasted.

Seto sighed and couldn't help but relax as he continued to breathe in the alluring scent, all of his stiff muscles slowly unclenching from the stressful ordeal as he listened to the pitter patter of water hitting tiles and the soft hum of whatever tune the blond was making in the shower. It was so soothing, so calm… He almost… couldn't keep his eyes open…

Well, until he heard the water stop. Then, he forced himself to stay relaxed, keeping his eyes shut so that he looked, for all intents and purposes, like someone that was dead asleep.

When he felt the blond slowly crawl into bed, he stayed still for a few minutes, solidifying the image of a person that was sleeping. After a little while, though, he let out a quiet groan and moved closer, groping blindly until his fingers closed on loose fabric. He held it tightly, then began tugging on it every few minutes.

Joey blushed and reached up to grab his hand, trying to loosen the grip, but after a few tries, he had to give up; Seto was holding his shirt too tightly. He squeaked as the brunet mumbled something and squirmed closer to him, blushing even more as the human pressed up against him.

He felt… hard. Not uncomfortably hard, like he was rigid, but hard as in muscular. He was warm, too. And comfy. So comfy to curl up against, tail sliding around the brunet's thigh (also muscular; he very much liked muscular people) as he laid his head on the older boy's bare chest, he felt he could sleep forever, feeling safe and protected and—

"Eep!" Joey clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from squeaking again as the brunet grumbled something, hips trembling a little with the want to move away. It was great that Seto was a sleep-snuggler; he didn't really mind that.

He just minded the hand squeezing his ass!

"…K-Kaiba…" He kept his voice soft so he wouldn't wake him up. "Kaiba, lemme go…!" He squirmed helplessly when the older boy only grunted and held him tighter. "Kaiba…! S-Seto! Please, this is embarrass—_Ing!_" He froze as he felt something hard brush his hip; it hadn't been there before, but…

Oh, _damn!_ He knew that Seto had the hornies, but _really?_ Getting a boner in his sleep? How fucking _mortifying!_

For him, anyway; Seto didn't really seem to care, sleeping as he was. Hell, he probably wouldn't care even if he was awake. He'd probably just say, "Yeah, so?" Stupid Kaiba and his stupid confidence.

Joey blushed again and squeezed his eyes shut, slowly edging his hips away. He couldn't really do anything about the grip around his back or the hand on his butt, but he wasn't going to sleep pressed up against an erection!

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm leavin' this guy with you!" Joey exclaimed, shoving the human he'd been watching into his friend's room. "Gotta go take care of his paperwork! Byyyyyeeeeeeee!"

Seto turned to watch him scamper away, unable to help a smirk. He'd heard the blond whimper and mew last night, once he'd gotten over being held against him (and his erection, which he actually hadn't meant to get, but hadn't complained when all the demon did was squeak and squirm).

"…Sir, I'm an incubus, and your sexual arousal isn't really doing me any good. Could you at least _try_ to rein it in a little?"

The brunet turned to look at the person he'd been left with, raising an eyebrow when he realized that it looked a lot like Duke, but with short hair and no stupid dangly earrings. He was larger and more muscular, too, looking more like a demon than a fairy (which was how he thought of Duke; as a puppy-stealing, dice-throwing fairy). Oh, and the horns that stuck up out of his inky hair confirmed that Duke was not a demon in disguise; Duke was very conscious of his appearance, and he would _never_ be able to pull off those horns.

"…" The demon raised an eyebrow. "What's that look for?"

"…You look like someone I know. Except less like a fairy and more like a demon," Seto explained.

The demon snorted and rolled his eyes. "I get that a lot." He motioned toward the couch (Seto noted with distaste that it was of better quality than Joey's, and he couldn't help but think that Joey deserved a better bed/sofa). "And don't give my couch that look. I've offered to trade with Joey, and he says he doesn't want any other sofa because his is _comfortable,_" the demon stated, rolling his eyes again with just a touch of annoyance. "Honestly, that kid's gonna be pissed when he finds out management has _taken_ his couch and replaced it. I swear, he'll just go rescue it from the dumpster again."

…Joey was a complex person. And by complex, Seto meant stupid.

Flopping down onto the chair, the demon sighed. "You can call me Dia. I'm going to assume that by the way your arousal fizzled out as soon as Joey got out of sight, _he's_ the one you're panting for."

"You're correct in your assumption, but why is that any of your business?" Seto asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

Dia shrugged. "Because he _wants_ to get laid, he's just too afraid to ask anyone after Hatoko spread the rumor that he was terrible in bed. Of course, lots of succubae and incubi would _love_ to teach him, but the first time anyone offered, he got so angry and embarrassed that he actually blew up his desk before his anger could be absorbed." The demon sighed, shrugging helplessly. "He's aroused often, but everyone pretends not to notice because Hatoko hurt him so badly."

The brunet growled quietly. "And _who_ is Hatoko?"

"She's been demoted to the lowest rank possible and has no hope of promotion for ten centuries," the demon replied, looking down at his nails. "Demons are sexual by nature, and it's not healthy for Joey to be smothering his desire. He doesn't even masturbate. I know, because I was ordered to observe him after the whole shebang. Those first few months, every time he got horny, he'd just go into the bathroom and stare into the mirror; he's so disgusted by himself that if he just glances in the mirror, he loses any desire he had. He's not confident enough sexually to even touch himself."

Seto couldn't help the rage he was feeling. Joey had said that he and his one-time partner had agreed never to speak of it again; he'd deliberately _lied_ to him! Yes, he may have insulted Joey all the time, but he'd never done anything so cruel to make him think that he'd make fun of him for being bad at sex his _first time!_

Dia watched the brunet's aura fluctuate violently, eyebrow raised as the anger that was sucked away was immediately replaced. "…You'd make a good candidate for RID. You'd probably end up in the higher ranks, too."

"The are-eye-who?"

"RID. The Reincarnation Into Demonhood. If a human shows the right capacity for anything demonic, he can be reincarnated into a demon. Your anger could win you demonhood, sir." The demon shrugged when all he received was a dismissive snort. "I'm just saying. Now, little human."

Seto couldn't help a startled grunt as a hand on his throat slammed him against the wall. He hadn't even seen the other man move! "Gch-!"

"_You_ are attracted to him. And, for whatever reason, _he_ is attracted to _you._" The demon snarled and flashed his sharp teeth, his green eyes turning a disturbingly dark black. "I assume it has something to do with his inferiority complex, but either way, _you_ have the chance to make him see that he's not helping himself by ignoring his desire. _You_ can make him see just how good sex can be for him, and you _will_ do it, or else I'll see to it that Joey is transferred to a different country to complete his Human Association hours and you'll _never_ see him again."

Just as abruptly as he'd been slammed against the wall, he was released. He slid down the wall to the floor, breathless, startled, and confused. All he could do was cough and stare up at the demon in confusion. "Huh?"

The incubus walked over to a chest in the corner. "He's got a spreader bar in his room. Use that—preferably with the chain there. He won't be able to struggle as much. …And here are some cuffs to restrain his hands. Buckle them to his wings; they may look frail, but they're actually very sturdy." The demon turned to look at him intensely, determining something in his mind, before he ducked back into the chest. "I've got a riding crop in here somewhere. –Don't be surprised that I know your fantasies! I'm a high-ranked incubus; I can tell just by looking at you!"

Seto blinked as the cuffs—attached to thick belt straps by a short chain—and a riding crop were tossed to land in front of him. "…You're… _ordering_ me to have sex with him?"

"He _wants_ sex, he's just too afraid to have it, so get him past that stupid fear and do him." Dia stood up straight, eyeing the two bottles in his hands thoughtfully, then turned and strode over to the human swiftly. He held up the smaller bottle filled with a liquid such a dark purple that it was almost black. "He's going to come back from running errands for Akio and he's going to be _thirsty,_ because the mess hall doesn't serve many liquids; the heat from Hell and the cooking stoves makes them boil away.

"The employee housing is kept cooler, and the water is especially clean so it's good for both bathing and drinking. Preferably not at the same time. You're going to be waiting at the door with a glass of cranberry juice—which, by the way, he loves to pieces. You're going to put exactly three drops of this liquid into that juice. Joey will have time to walk over to the couch before the tranquilizer hits him. You will have approximately fifteen minutes to set everything up.

"Joey will wake up angry and confused, but the aphrodisiac is going to muddle his thoughts. That'll give you a chance to kiss him until he realizes that you're not just doing it for kicks and are honestly attracted to him. Now, expect him to say 'no.' He'll be too afraid that you'll be disappointed in him after you both finish to even try to have sex. Do not take 'no' for an answer. He wants it; he's _always_ wanted it. You just have to show him that it's okay not to be a sex god his first time."

Seto blinked again. "…But… I've had sex before."

"Good. Show him what you can teach him. _He_ doesn't necessarily have to be good for you to show him that _you_ are good." Dia held up the other bottle. "This is lube, of course; you're going to need it. I can't imagine that he'll have touched himself back there. Now, it's a special lube for _virgins_ made especially for demon males. It has a muscle relaxant in it, along with various healing herbs." He paused, then added, "The muscle relaxant lasts until just after initial insertion. You may feel a tingle, but only for a moment. Prepare him while he's still knocked out, if you can."

It was still hard for him to grasp, but… he didn't exactly mind what he was being ordered to do. "…Can I have a cock ring too?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey. You."

Seto sat up immediately, even before his mind fully registered what it had heard. After a moment, he grunted and rubbed his eyes. "What?"

Akio scowled. "We've gotten your paperwork fixed up. Your board members are trying to take advantage of your brother. While we have a special ring of hell specifically for unsavory businessmen, the higher ups wanna see you unleash your fury on them, to judge whether you'd be good demon material."

The brunet felt his anger flair for a minute, but then he heard a quiet hum and felt something snuggle up to his side. Looking down, he frowned when he saw the blond pressed against him. "…What about Joey?"

"What about him? I'm not giving you a choice. Don't worry, he'll probably scratch me up good." The redhead snorted in disgust. "Now that you've given him a taste of how good sex can be, I'm sure he'll be pissed when he realizes _I'm_ the reason that you're gone. Come on. Hurry up. The longer you're aware from him, the more desperate he'll be to release some more of his sexual frustration on you. _Hurry up!_"

"I'm hurrying, damn it! His tail won't let me go!"

"Gah! Stupid demons with tails!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling tired and weak. But when he saw his brother's anxious face, he had to smile. "Hey, Mokie."

"Hi, Seto," Mokuba whispered, tears of relief filling his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." The brunet let his eyes drift closed for a moment. "But I had the most wonderful dream…"

"WHATTA YA MEAN YA SENT HIM BACK! I WAS GONNA TAKE THAT STUPID RIDIN' CROP TO HIS FACE! DO YA KNOW HOW MUCH MY ASS HURTS? DIA? DIA! DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME! DIAAAAAAAAAA!"

Seto frowned. "Did you hear that?"

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "Hear what?" He blinked as he felt the floor rumble beneath his feet. "Whoa. We haven't had a tremor that strong for quite some time."

The brunet sighed. He wanted to believe it was just a dream, but… as he felt another slight tremor, he realized that may not have been.

Joey had probably done more than just blown up his desk this time.


	24. Sacrifice II

Author's Note: When describing Seto as a faery, I mean as a Gaelic faery. The word 'faery' encompasses all of those sorts of Gaelic creatures that have something to do with one specific element or object. **:|** Also, I use the word 'faery' because it makes me giggle to describe Seto as a fairy. Yep. I do it for the lulz.

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Sacrifice II

Seto just couldn't lie; he was stunned.

Joey glared at him, pressing back into the wall despite his brave face. He brought his hand to his chest protectively, the flesh of his palm still tingling from striking the brunet's cheek. He knew he'd be punished for slapping him—the kelpie wouldn't just let him get away with it—but he couldn't handle being touched tonight! He knew where the monster had been!

Once getting over his initial shock, Seto let out an angry snarl and slammed his hands against the wall on either side of the human's head. "What the hell was that for!"

The blond turned his head away, feeling the adrenaline-fueled bravery drain away in face of the kelpie's fury. "I-I can't-!"

"Can't _what?_ You were putting out just fine before I left!" the brunet snapped, glaring at him.

Joey tried to keep his brave face, but when he saw the monster-turned-man's eyes begin to glow, he sobbed quietly. "I know what day it is! My village sent another virgin t' you!"

"So?" Seto hissed, sliding one hand into the boy's thick hair. He gripped it tightly, unable to help the smirk that came to his face when the blond whimpered.

"I just-! I can't have your mouth on me! Not when I know it killed and consumed another human being-!" The blond sobbed helplessly. "Someone that I maybe knew, someone that could have been my friend! I just can't let ya touch me when ya just killed another person!"

The brunet growled angrily. "You've already told me that if I want you as my prize mare, I'm not to have any others. I'm _always_ horny after a hunt like this. What would you have me do, just _stop_ eating humans?"

"Yes!" Joey answered shortly, yelping when the brunet tugged on his hair. "That hurts!"

"And just _why_ should I?" the kelpie snarled. "I _like_ eating humans. I _like_ tearing their flesh from their bones and listening to them scream."

The blond shuddered, terrified. "S-Seto—"

"I like ripping humans apart and chomping their bones to bits. I like feeling their hearts pop in my mouth like roe." Seto's eyes darkened. "I'm a kelpie. It's natural for me to like it. You're my prize mare; _learn_ to like it."

Joey sobbed as he was pulled into a rough, open-mouthed kiss, shuddering again at the slight tang of iron he tasted. Turning his head away, he shoved at the brunet's shoulders with an angry snarl. "No! I can't-!"

Seto roared and threw the blond to the ground, then turned and slammed his fist into the wall, shattering the area immediately around his knuckles and cracking the rock several feet outward. He wanted nothing more than to do the same thing to the blond's head, but he realized that he would eventually regret it—probably not immediately, but it annoyed him that he'd regret it at all.

The human swallowed thickly as he gazed at the wall, realizing that it could have been his body that had taken the blow. "S-Seto…"

"—Fairies-elves-and-damned! Why do you make everything so difficult!" the brunet snarled, spinning toward him angrily. "You don't want me to have sex with you, but you insist that if I force it on you, I don't have sex with anyone else! You won't say you like sex, but you always beg for more and you have _no_ qualms telling me to go harder or faster when we're having it! And now you won't have sex with me because _I'm following my instincts?_"

Joey flinched. "I just—I can't—"

"Stop saying you can't! You can! You _obviously_ can!" Seto grabbed him by throat and slammed him against the wall. "Damn it!"

"Ngk-!" The blond whimpered breathlessly, clawing at his arm, then fell limp, deciding that the kelpie would only let go when he felt like it.

Seto ground his teeth as he glared at the human he could so easily snap in half, then growled, turning and giving him a shove toward the bed. "Sit."

Joey coughed as he stumbled toward the bed, pausing to get his breath back. He yelped when the brunet gave him a hard spank and leapt onto the bed, turning to face him quickly and mentally preparing himself for a round of sex that would probably leave him bleeding and helpless because the monster seemed to enjoy nonconsensual sex as much as he enjoyed it consensually—maybe even more.

He yelped as the brunet slammed him down on his back. "Seto-!"

"Answer me! Tell me why I can't have more mares! Tell me why you won't admit you like sex! Help me understand what goes through your stupid human head!" the brunet snarled, shaking him. "_Tell me!_"

The human tried to bear the shaking, but he was afraid his neck might snap if Seto shook him any harder. While he wanted to keep his reasoning to himself, he was more afraid of being eaten now than he was afraid of being raped. "I don't wanna go t' hell!"

Seto froze, staring at him in disbelief. "You… what?"

"I don't wanna go t' hell!" Joey repeated, then turned his head away and began to cry as he felt the grip on his shoulders loosening. "That's why I wanted you t' eat me! That's why I didn't want ya t' touch me! I knew that if ya touched me like that, God wouldn't love me anymore! I thought that if I said I hated ya, that I hated sex, God would see that I didn't really want it, and I wouldn't hafta burn in hell after ya finally ate me! 'nd when I realized I _did_ like it, I knew I had t' be the only one ya slept with, otherwise I'd have _no_ chance of gettin' into heaven and I just couldn't handle that!"

"…So that was all because you were too afraid to admit that you like my dick up your ass?" The brunet growled, then threw his head back to roar his annoyance. "Why do I even put up with you!"

The human flinched, then frowned as the older man stormed toward the water that was the only exit from the cave that served as his home. "W-where are you—"

"I'm going to go fuck a mare that won't mind that I've just eaten a human," Seto snarled, turning to glare at him. "You can stay here and think about your priorities. Make a decision. Either get over this need for approval from a god that has obviously abandoned you and let me fuck you, or I'm going to eat you and be done with it."

Joey watched his form twist into that of a stallion and sink into the water, then turned and buried his face in a pillow. He didn't know what to do; he knew he'd never come to a decision by the time Seto got back.

He'd come to like the sex, especially when the brunet was in a good enough mood to let him ride him. It wasn't painful as it had been in the beginning unless the kelpie was in a bad mood, and he always healed whatever damage he caused after a rough fuck. He'd also found that he didn't really mind sucking the brunet off after a while.

But he'd grown up being told that lying with another man was a sin, and it almost hurt to give up that small piece of his life from before the kelpie had taken him as his prize mare. While he had trouble believing that he'd ever get into heaven (or even purgatory, for that matter) now that he'd openly admitted enjoying the sex, he still felt a defensive sting of pride that kept him from giving up.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Maybe it had been harsh, but Seto was new to this whole 'caring about the feelings of someone that wasn't Mokuba' thing. And it wasn't like he could just forget his instincts; he _liked_ seeing the blond suffer, if only because he was a kelpie and human suffering gave him a sadistic high. In fact, he was initially horrified when he realized that he _did_ care if the human sharing his bed was hurt.

He shouldn't have cared. Humans were food; what reason did he have to care? But one night, when he was in a particularly bad mood (he'd almost snatched a human into the water to devour; it wasn't even from the village he'd struck the one-virgin-a-year deal with—and he'd _missed!_), and he'd been taking out his frustrations on the blond, he'd realized that he was hurting him more than he usually did, almost to a point where he might die.

And he'd realized… he didn't want that to happen.

At first, he'd just figured it was because Joey's screams were delicious, and he hadn't wanted to give them up yet. However, as time went on, he found himself being gentler with the fragile body, even allowing the blond to roll on top of him and ride him.

Letting the blond ride him was a big deal. Male kelpies weren't _ridden._ It showed weakness, vulnerability. Not to mention that when they were ridden in their horse forms (usually because of some human trick), they were always killed. He realized that Joey had been in no position to kill him, but the fear and anxiety was always there, regardless of where he was and what he was doing.

And Joey had been so obedient—hesitant, even—asking if it was okay and whether or not he was doing it right. He was a nervous rider; he knew how dangerous the creature he was riding could really be.

Seto let out an angry neigh and crushed a boulder with his hooves. Just thinking about the blond made him furious! He'd been kind to him (in kelpie standards), had fed him, had even healed him when he accidentally hurt him more than he'd planned, and the ungrateful slut had the audacity to turn him down because he was _following his instincts!_

…No, that wasn't true. He'd turned him down because of the disgust he felt when he realized that he might have known the person Seto had eaten. He'd been rebelling more often, too, no matter how many times Seto had scared him back into submission. His little mare was restless, trapped in a cave with only a bed and a bucket for relieving himself. Joey probably longed to leave the cave, despite the fact that his clothes had been ripped to shreds only weeks into his imprisonment.

Seto scuffed his hoof over some kelp, frowning. He knew he couldn't eat Joey now; it was much too late for that. It might even put him off human meat for good. But he'd threatened to—had promised to. He was almost certain if he just let the blond outside the cave for even a few moments, he'd become docile again.

Perhaps if he presented him with a gift? Something to show that he wasn't keeping the blond simply because he was bored. He would never be able to articulate out loud why he kept him. He'd tried, had practiced. He'd gotten so far as, "I've grown attach—"

The "—ed to you" always ended up getting stuck in his throat.

Seto looked around carefully to make sure he wasn't being watched, then melded into his human form to reach into the bed of kelp and gently extract a tunic he'd made from the water weeds and his own magic. He'd started making it when he realized that Joey had meant something to him other than food or a fuck. At first, it had been a project to see whether or not his feelings were just a whim that would fade in a few weeks; when he'd realized they were genuine, he'd put more effort into making it something beautiful. He wanted Joey to be happy with him…

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Eat me."

Seto froze, eyes widening as he looked at the blond sitting on the bed. He was facing away from him, but he could have sworn that his voice had been… sad. Resigned. His shoulders were hunched, as if he didn't like the decision he'd made. He didn't really want to be eaten. He couldn't.

Seto knew, because the human survival instinct didn't work like that.

Joey yelped as he felt a hand dig into his hair, whimpering as the brunet yanked it cruelly. "Ah-!" He gasped as he was pulled into a kiss, unable to help a little whimper. It had been long enough that he couldn't tell whether there was actually still a tang of blood or if it was just imagination, and he was still horrified at the thought that it was the blood of someone he knew.

The kelpie kissed him for a few long moments, then leaned back to glare at him, even as he lifted his hand and struck him across the cheek. When the blond sputtered and glared at him angrily, ready to shout and curse, he slapped him again.

"Ngh!" The second strike had been much harder—hard enough to make him fall onto his side. "Ah-!" He whimpered quietly as he felt the older man's hand begin to stroke his side, clenching the blankets tightly. "Nn!"

"I'm not eating you. I'm going to keep you until you're mine completely—body, heart, and soul." Seto leaned down to kiss his cheek. "You're my prize mare. You are mine. I won't just give you up because you ask me to."

Joey shivered. "S-Seto…!" He moaned as the brunet's lips trailed down to his neck, then whimpered again as he felt something soft and cool fluttering over his skin. "Seto-!"

The kelpie tilted his head as he examined the color of the tunic against the blond's skin. He'd always thought that green would look good on him. This pale, sea-foamy color looked very nice—especially when he noticed that it made his bruises look darker on his skin. Joey looked delicious with his pale skin covered in bruises.

He brushed one of the sleeves of the tunic against the blond's cheek. "Put this on."

"Nn?" The younger boy looked up at him in confusion, sitting up a little to look down at the pale green tunic. He grasped the silky fabric and held it to his chest. "…You… got this… for me?"

"I made it. I thought you'd look pretty in green." He brushed the blond's cheek again. "Put it on. I want to see if I made it the right length. And if it is, well…" He frowned and glanced away. "…I thought that… maybe you'd like to go outside."

Joey blinked up at him slowly, baffled by what he was hearing. Eventually, though, he sat up straight and looked at the soft green fabric pressed to his chest. "…You… made this for me…? And you're gonna take me outside?" He looked up at the kelpie and frowned. "Why?"

Seto turned his head away, frowning. "…I don't know how to say it. So I'm hoping that you'll figure it out yourself."

Hugging the tunic tightly, the blond looked away and shivered. He had an idea, but he was too terrified to think too hard on it. The kelpie was an evil creature! If it meant what he thought it meant, then—

He moaned quietly as the brunet leaned down to gently lip at his neck like a horse choosing the grains it wanted, shivering as he nipped at his throat; he knew that those teeth could easily chomp through his neck. The fact that they did nothing but nibble and leave little marks across his skin, however, was humbling in a way that the kelpie liked him enough to not kill him. Perhaps being the faery's prize mare wouldn't be so bad now, when he was admitting that he felt… something that he couldn't explain.

Joey bit his bottom lip. He didn't want to admit it quite yet, but… he felt something he couldn't explain adequately either.

.-.-.-.-.-.

He'd been right. Seto always liked when he was right.

Joey had become more docile after regular trips out of the cave. He didn't do much, most of the time. Sometimes he'd bask in the sun wherever Seto left him, or he'd go around picking wildflowers for the cave (Seto didn't really like them, but he recognized that Joey was in the cave more often than he was, so he allowed it), or even just walk along the river bank, sometimes on the dry dirt, other times the wet sand, but mostly with his feet in the water, humming quietly.

His mare had a pretty hum.

Seto kept out of sight most of the time, allowing the blond the 'freedom' of thinking he was alone. Sometimes, though, he'd trot along beside him, playfully whipping his bare thighs with his perpetually dripping tail and then galloping ahead as the human squealed in surprise and threw rocks or sticks after him in embarrassment. It made him feel like a colt again, playing so innocently with his mare.

Seto snorted loudly as he felt a gentle hand on his cheek and glanced up, his prehensile lips playing with his mare's hair. _'My lovely mate deserves a treat. Perhaps I'll send Mokuba to get him some sweets.'_ He grunted his approval as the blond leaned in to gently kiss his velvety nose, pressing his face closer to his lips, then leaned back and caught his lower lip between his own playfully.

Joey screeched in embarrassment and yanked away from him. "I'm not doin' it with a horse, ya pervert!"

The kelpie let out a whinny that sounded much more like a laugh and turned to keep walking. _'I will accept that. The idea of fucking you as a horse doesn't exactly appeal to me either.'_

The blond huffed, still embarrassed, and wiped his mouth on his arm. "So gross—I was just kissin' your nose and all of the sudden my lip's in yer mouth-!" He squealed as he was shoved up against a tree, only relaxing when he saw that the kelpie had shifted into his human form. "Seto…"

"May I tell you a fantasy I've been having?" Seto whispered, then chuckled when the blond whimpered. "You remember that large rock in the middle of the river? The one I left you to bask on that one day?"

Joey shivered. "Yes. It was really warm."

"I want to have sex with you on that rock, on a warm day like this, while you're dripping wet. I think you'd look beautiful with drops of moisture rolling over your skin, unable to tell whether they were sweat or water. I see it in my mind, and I think it's the most erotic thing I've ever imagined."

"Ah… M-maybe… maybe in the evenin' when there's no chance of people coming across us?" the blond whispered, licking his lips anxiously. "I-I don't think I'd mind if there was no chance of people seein' us."

"Just people, right? Because I can assure you, a few curious faeries will hear your screams and come to see what's going on." Seto leered at him. "And I don't mind showing off my prize mare to an audience as long as they see that you belong _completely_ to me."

Joey moaned quietly in the back of his throat, feeling both humiliated and aroused—and ashamed of that arousal. Whimpering quietly, he shook his head. "No-! I don't want anyone t' see-!"

At that, the brunet's face suddenly twisted into an angry scowl. "You're right. I don't want anyone to see your face while I'm pleasuring you; you're so beautiful that they'd try to steal you away and keep you as their own." He tugged the human into his arms and hissed. "You're _my_ mare, Joey."

"I never said I wasn't!"

"Don't let _anyone_ take you away from me, or I'll get seriously angry."

"You're already angry!"

"And I might just have to eat that person in front of you."

"Gah!" Joey cringed. "No-! Please don't eat anyone in front of me!" He squeaked as the kelpie held him closer. "Seto!"

Seto lipped his neck gently. "What if it's you? Can I eat you in front of you?"

The blond mewed in confusion. "Wha-? I don't—"

The faery knelt in front of him and smirked as he looked up at the blond, pushing his tunic up a little. "Like that first night. Or… I could eat you back _here._"

Joey shrieked, jerking his head back against the tree. "Ngh-!"

"In fact… I _really_ want to eat you back here."

Joey blushed in embarrassment but didn't complain.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey whimpered cutely, eyelashes damp with tears of embarrassment. "S-Seto—"

The brunet hummed at him and carefully slid his legs from his shoulders, helping the human to sit on his lap. "It's okay. Just relax." He leaned down to lick the blond's throat, moaning quietly. "I'll never get tired of tasting you…"

"Nn…" The blond shivered and bit his bottom lip.

"What's this, Seto? _Playing_ with your _food?_"

Joey lunged forward, throwing his arms around the kelpie's neck as another water horse stepped out of the river, and trembled anxiously. "Nn-!"

Seto lifted his head and turned narrowed eyes on the black horse. "_Duke._"

The horse's unnaturally green eyes looked the human over carefully. "Then again, he looks cute. Perhaps _I'll_ take a go with him." Somehow, the equine lips twisted into a smirk. "He looks like he'd enjoy horse cock."

Seto bared his teeth at the suggestion. "He's _mine._"

"Come on. I promise I won't hurt him too badly. Think of it like… _tenderizing._"

Joey shivered in terror, eyes widening as he hid his head behind the brunet's chest. "Seto-!" The thought of doing it with Seto as a horse was disgusting; the thought of doing it with a kelpie that thought of him as food was petrifying.

"Duke. This is my prize mare," the brunet snarled coldly. "He is mine. If you—or anyone else for that matter—tries to even _touch_ him, I will snap off your fingers or rip out your teeth one by one." His eyes glowed angrily. "So keep your penis where it belongs—_on you_ instead of on my wall as a _trophy._"

The other kelpie flinched, then snorted and turned his head. "Well, if you say so. But if I find him alone, I can't promise that _you_ will find his pert little behind in one piece." He neighed in terror as the brunet swept to his feet, turning to leap into the water.

Seto snarled angrily, then turned and tugged the blond back into his arms, holding him tightly. "Mine!"

"Seto-!" Joey clung back just as tight, still terrified.

"I'm never leaving you alone again!" The brunet nuzzled his neck roughly. "You're mine. _Mine._"

"Don't let him get me…!" the human whispered anxiously. "Please don't let him get me! He'd rip me apart and then he'd eat me-!"

"Not going to happen." Seto kissed his neck gently in apology for the rough nuzzling. "I think I should keep you in the cave for a while before letting you out again. Not to punish you, but to protect you." He cupped the blond's chin and tilted his head up to kiss him lightly. "I'll stay with you so you won't get lonely."

"Anything ya want-! Just don't let him get me!" Joey whimpered, beginning to tremble all over again.

The faery let out a disgruntled rumble. He never thought he'd see the day that a human would cling to him for safety. Then again, he'd also never thought he'd see the day that he'd care about a human, either.


	25. Prime Mate II

Author's Note: By _InuYasha,_ I meant for you guys to think of Inu-Yasha. These demons are just humans with animal ears/tails/wings, depending on the species.

Also. **:|** Cute doe eyes are cute. Seto cannot resist.

* * *

Prime Mate II

The world had been a mass of confusion, pain, and sound for quite some time, Joey reflected, whimpering as his cage was jostled about. It had come with no warning. They were all getting breakfast (everyone except him; he was being punished for his broken bowl, so he probably wouldn't have gotten a meal for a couple of days) when it had happened.

The doors had burst open and something thrown inside. The demons had only been able to stare in confusion while the humans scrambled to the back of the kennel, but when the object exploded and released a gas that stung their eyes and burned their throats, the demons had raised an uproar of angry and pained howls that echoed around the cold cement room. Once the gas had dissipated, leaving the demons stunned and weak from their frantic scrabbling to get away from the badness in the center of the room, a bunch of humans poured through the door, all wearing the same color and holding guns. The humans that had been feeding the demons were promptly carried out, and more humans came in with more guns and turned toward the kennels.

That had been the end of the forced calm of recovery. Each captive demon knew they were about to be killed, so they flailed and thrashed violently, snarling angrily and howling in despair as one by one each demon was shot. Joey had cowered in a corner, still weak from crying all night and resigned to his fate. He'd been surprised when Seto had snarled and, instead of cowering in the back like most demons had, charged toward the door, slamming into the fence and shaking the entire cage.

One shot hadn't even slowed him down. He continued to try and attack the humans through the cage, snarling and snapping until a second shot had taken the edge of his adrenaline-fueled energy. He'd growled, baring his teeth at them, then stumbled over to stand protectively above his trembling mate. There'd been a third shot, a pause, and then a breathless "whumph" as the brunet collapsed on top of him.

"Gah! Heavy…!" Joey had struggled out from under him, then turned to examine his mate's body instinctively, despite still being hurt by his words. Then, he'd been shot in the side, and everything went black.

So they hadn't been actual guns, just things to put them to sleep. He could hear other demons whimpering and mewling uncomfortably as whatever was carrying them bumped and wiggled and did its best to terrify them. He didn't know where Yugi or Seto were, and he didn't know who was in the truck with him. All he knew was that he was scared.

He gasped as he was blinded when the belly of the beast they were in was opened and light streamed in. The cages were jostled again. He mewed as he felt himself being carried somewhere, cowering in the back of his cage as he moved. "Nyooo!" He whined as the door to his cage opened, shrinking back into his corner, only to yelp as two pairs of hands grasped his arms tightly and yanked him out.

He yelped frantically as he was slammed onto a cold metal table, squirming to try and escape, but then he felt straps being clipped around his ankles, and then the straps gently being attached to his wrists, forcing him into a prone position that he was too frightened and weak to struggle out of. After a few minutes, he became aware of the sterile scent of the room. He recognized this scent.

He was at the vet. Vets weren't terrible.

Relaxing a little, Joey patiently allowed them to take his temperature and treat the scratches on his back and hips. He peeked over his shoulder to peer at the two vets curiously as they examined him. They murmured to each other quietly, testing his body for reflexes and such, then reached up to unbuckle the too-tight collar from his neck. His tail wagged thankfully.

When he was led into another kennel like the one back at the fight ring, he squeaked in delight as he saw a large pillow and bowl filled with soft chunks of meat set inside it. He scurried over to the pillow and curled up on it, mewing quietly as he peered up at the nice humans. If these were the humans keeping him, he wouldn't mind fighting for them. These kennels were warm and dry, much more helpful in keeping him healthy enough to fight properly.

He snuffled toward the bowl of food, inhaling the scent of thick gravy, then pulled the bowl closer and flashed a little smile at the humans before he began to eat.

The two veterinarians sighed; this demon was just the first of many, many more.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Exercise! They could _exercise!_

Joey squeaked gleefully as he saw his friend on the other end of the exercise yard and scampered over to him. "Yugi! Look! They washed me!"

Yugi smiled. "They washed me too!"

"I love these humans!" The blond frowned in confusion. "Hey, they didn't give you a ribbon for your hair."

"…My hair isn't as long as yours, Joey," the younger boy explained, even as he admired the pink ribbon keeping his hair tucked into a ponytail atop his head. "It looks good on you."

The dog demon preened. "Thanks." He paused, then frowned, ears wilting a little as he ducked his head and quietly asked, "Um… have you seen Seto?"

Yugi flinched, then glanced over his shoulder. "Well, yeah, but…" Knowing his friend would want to see his mate (no matter how much he may have been hurt by him before), he sighed. "It's… Well, here. Follow me." He paused, then added, "Prepare yourself, Joey. It's pretty bad."

Joey's ears flew up in concern. "Pretty bad? What does… what does that mean?"

"Just wait and see."

The blond whined quietly but followed him over to a secluded area in the corner, cut off from the rest by a large wooden wall. When his friend nodded for him to go around, he edged his way around the corner and peered inside. He gasped quietly. "Seto-!"

Seto was curled up in the corner, a thick chain attached to the wide leather collar around his neck. He turned sharply at the voice, his normally blue eyes turned a furious red, showing that most of his face was covered by another piece of leather buckled behind his head as a muzzle. He snarled and leapt at him, stopping just inches short of him. Straining at the chain, he clawed at the blond and growled threateningly.

"…He's been like that ever since he woke up," Yugi whispered, peering in behind him. "I'm worried the humans will have him killed if he doesn't calm down."

Joey bit his bottom lip, tail curling up against his stomach as his mate continued to claw the air in his direction. He was still hurt by what the brunet had said to him, but his instincts were driving him to protect his mate from any possible danger from the humans, so he'd be around to protect both him and any (unlikely) puppies he had.

Turning so his tail was to him, the blond rested his weight forward on his elbows, lifting his tail to present himself. When he heard the growls fade to curious rumbles, he began edging backward, keeping his tail up to flag his acceptance. He gasped as the wolf demon caught his hips and dragged him back toward him, spreading his legs obediently as the brunet snuffled between them.

Seto made sure that no one else had defiled him, the red slowly fading from his irises, then snorted in content. His mate had had a bath and his wounds properly treated. Pulling the blond back into his arms, he held him tightly. The dog demon mewed in confusion, having expected to be humped dominantly. Then again, he realized the brunet would probably want to clean him up afterward, and he couldn't do that because of the muzzle covering his face.

He yipped quietly as he was dragged over to the corner, then mewed as he was set down, blushing when the brunet forced him to tuck into a ball so he could curl around him protectively. Peering over at his friend helplessly, he shrugged, then turned his head to lick the brunet's ears comfortingly. He had wanted to run around a little more, but if protecting his mate meant being tucked against him safely, he didn't mind.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I want to go home."

Joey sat up and frowned. "Huh?"

It had been a slow process, but once the vets realized that he and Seto were a mated couple, they'd been put into the same pen in the kennels—larger than the ones that only housed one demon, thankfully. Seto had immediately proved his claim on his bitch, disgruntled to find that when the blond had been cleaned, his own scent had been washed away with it. He'd spent quite some time licking him and rubbing his face against him, once again covering him in his scent.

Now that they were both cuddled up on a large, soft pillow, though, he found himself confused. "What're you talkin' about, Seto?"

Seto sighed. "I _want_ to go home."

"Back t' the wild?" the blond asked softly. He sat up to lick the wolf demon's ears comfortingly, smiling a little when his tail began to wag. "Don't worry. The humans must see that you're wild. They'll let ya go. These are _nice_ humans."

The brunet rumbled quietly. "I want to know that my brother is okay. I sent him away when I smelled humans. If they captured him, I… I'll go to the ends of the earth to find him."

Joey frowned. "A brother? …If he has just an ounce of the same blood you do, I'm sure he's alright." He nuzzled the older boy's shoulder gently. "You'll hafta tell him that your mate was a good person. You'll do that, won't ya?"

Seto glanced toward him in confusion. "Why would I have to tell him anything?"

The blond flinched. "Oh… W-well, ya don't hafta tell him about me if ya don't wanna, I guess. I just thought…"

"_Why_ would I have to tell him _anything?_" the wolf asked again bluntly, sitting up and scowling at him. "You're coming with me."

Joey blinked up at him and frowned. "…Seto, I would never survive. I can't hunt. I don't know what's poisonous and what's not. I've always been provided for. Ya have no reason t' take me with ya, especially since I can't give ya puppies."

"You're my mate. I'll provide for you," the older boy stated firmly. "So what if you can't hunt? The other wolves can. You can baby-sit the pups so that their mothers can help hunt."

The dog demon smiled sadly. "…Seto, I'm a dog. Wolves don't… wolves don't usually like dogs. I don't think they'd let me watch their puppies when they found out I'm basically infertile, anyway…" he added quietly, curling back up.

"…You say '_basically_ infertile.'" Seto tilted his head and eyed the blond for a moment, then huffed quietly. "That means there's still a chance, doesn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but apparently it's 'highly unlikely' and it's possible that any puppies I _do_ have might be stillborn or have problems." Joey sighed. "…I'm sorry I didn't tell ya before…"

"…Well, we'll just have to keep trying. You're still ovulating, right? Even though you don't smell like you're in heat, because it stopped when I mated with you. We can keep trying." Seto nuzzled his back gently. "We can keep trying until you have the puppies you want."

The blond mewed quietly in confusion. "But… but I—"

The wolf crouched over him and began humping him lightly. "Let's start trying right now."

"Nyu!" Joey squealed as the brunet rubbed his erection against his rump, then lifted his tail obediently; while he was still a little hurt by what the brunet had said before, the thought that the more they mated, the higher the chance of pregnancy made sense.

He really, _really_ wanted puppies.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto licked his mate's ears slowly, tail wagging a little as the blond whimpered and snuggled closer to him. He would admit that perhaps he hadn't needed to hump him as _much_ as he had, but he'd wanted to show his dominance, cover him in his scent, and impregnate him all at once. However, the vets had eventually come and sprayed him with a water bottle, and then he'd realized the blond had probably had enough.

…His bitch was a pretty little thing. He wondered what his brother would think of him. He hoped that Mokuba wouldn't say anything about his mate being a dog demon. While Joey had been right about some wolves thinking less of dog demons, it also wasn't uncommon for dominant wolf demons to take dogs as submissive mates when they couldn't find other wolves submissive enough for their tastes.

While these dogs weren't viewed as highly as wolves, they were still treated with respect, because it had been found that dogs were better babysitters than wolves. It was assumed that this was because dogs adored all puppies, while wolves tended to favor their own biological children over other wolves' pups. And, while dogs certainly ate a great deal more than wolves, they expended energy more than wolves as well, keeping the pups entertained enough that they didn't bother their exhausted parents after a long day's hunt.

Dog demons were appreciated, and protected because they would give their lives for the pups they watched. Hopefully, if Joey never had puppies himself, he could content himself by watching over other people's pups.

After a few more moments of watching the blond sleep, he went to sit in front of the window near their kennel to look at the full moon.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to hug his little brother tight and never let him go. He wanted to cuff his cousin and start a playful romp. He wanted to run around their territory and make sure that everything was the same as he'd left it. He wanted to be away from the humans and their stench, to wash it all off and forget everything that had happened.

Everything except his mate, of course. He could never forget his mate.

Seto frowned and looked back at the blond. He'd said that the demons that escaped always left all the other demons behind. How many times had he made friends with demons in the kennels, and how many of them had promised to take him with them when they escaped? How many times had he been left behind?

Well, that wasn't going to happen again. He would be taking his mate home with him, period, no matter how insecure he might feel.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey cowered against his mate anxiously as they were once again transported to a different place. There weren't a lot of demons—just a few, like Yugi, and a few other demons whose parents had been wild—but that didn't make it any less intimidating. At least he had a mate to tremble against; he could hear Yugi whimpering a few cages over.

He mewed as their cage was lifted and carefully set on the ground. "Seto…"

Seto gave his forehead a reassuring lick. "Everything will be fine. I'm here." He rumbled quietly as the door to the cage was opened, waiting until he heard all the humans back away before he edged out of the cage and sniffed around. Once he decided it was safe, he turned back to the cage. "I think it's alri—" He stopped abruptly, brows furrowing together as he caught sight of a rather large mountain.

He knew that mountain. He was just a little too far to the east. He could travel west and be home before dusk the next day—

"…Seto…?"

…Perhaps two days. Until a few days ago, the only exercise the blond had gotten was fighting for his life. He would never be able to keep the pace Seto had had in mind.

"Seto, is it…?" Joey peeked out of the cage and glanced around. "…There are so many plants!"

Realizing that Joey had probably never seen _grass_ before they'd been rescued by the vets, Seto kept the smart-ass retort of nature being known for its plants to himself. "I can get home from here."

"Do… do you mind if I follow you?" Yugi asked hesitantly. "Joey and I have known each other since we were pups, and… I know he's your mate. I would never try and take him away from you. But… he's my friend." He looked up at the brunet pleadingly.

Seto's eye twitched. Damn doe eyes. Mokuba had doe eyes too. And he was quite certain that Joey's doe eyes could break his resolve to pieces with one look alone.

Well, Yugi _was_ a wolf (albeit a tame one), so he should be well received without a mate of the pack. And it wasn't like he was bad-looking, or anything, plus his doe eyes—

"GAH! Fine. I don't care, as long as you can keep up."

Captive demons must have had some sort of medicine to make those doe eyes. Damn doe eyes! He hated them. _Hated them._

Seto blinked as he felt a slow lick on his cheek, then sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn't even know his mate very well and he was already a sucker for him. "You're lucky you're cute."

Joey mewed sweetly and rubbed his head against his shoulder. "Lead the way, Seto."

The two captive demons giggled to each other as the brunet huffed and began walking away at a brisk pace. It was a shame that Seto didn't realize that he was just as cute in their eyes as they were in his.


	26. Bouquet

Author's Note: I've been reading _Natsume's Book of Friends._ It's an awesome series. I highly recommend it.

* * *

Bouquet

"Hey. Hey! Can ya hear me?"

Seto scowled. He'd _just_ managed to fall asleep. He was going to kill whoever was bothering him—

"…Can you hear me…?"

The brunet let one of his eyes squint open, frowning a little when he saw the boy sitting next to his bed. _'What the…?'_

He was blond, and appeared maybe a couple of years younger than he was. He was wearing nothing but a short, thin yukata of a deep green color. His hair fell messily about his shoulders and fell into his eyes, which seemed an odd cross of red and brown. Extending from his skull were two long, black horns, and he saw a long, black, reptilian tail curled around his legs.

Oh _God._ It was another _demon._

The blond frowned and sat back, suddenly looking so sad that the human felt his heart twinge with the hurt in his expression. "…I guess ya can't hear me…"

Seto sighed quietly, knowing he was going to regret even acknowledging the demon near him. "…I can hear you."

The demon gasped, jerking backward in surprise, then smiled hopefully and leaned toward him. "Really? I was told that you could hear us! I—"

The brunet rolled onto his stomach and glared at the clock. "It's two o'clock in the morning. Why are you here? What do you want?"

"I was told ya could help demons because you could hear them. Can ya help me?" the blond asked, leaning toward him hopefully.

"Since you came and woke me up in the middle of the night… _No._"

Seto turned so his back was facing the demon and smirked as he heard the quiet whimper. Served him right, coming in uninvited and waking him up in the middle of the night.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto raised an eyebrow as he found the blond waiting just outside his door, pausing beside him even as his brother rushed ahead. "…You're still here?"

The demon smiled brightly and offered him the bouquet of white tulips he'd been holding in his arms. "I brought these to say I'm sorry. Will ya please help me?"

"Listen, I don't know what you've heard—" the brunet began, sighing in annoyance.

"I've heard that you can help me, 'cause you can hear us and see us. That means that ya have the ability t' break seals and stuff like that. I need help," the demon cut in.

Seto sighed again, aggravated by the blond's rude behavior. He began walking after his brother, who'd had the driver honk at him. "Listen, demon, I—"

"Joey."

"_Joey,_ I—"

"Aren't ya gonna take the flowers I brought ya?"

"Listen!" the brunet snapped, turning toward him. "I don't care what you've heard or what people have told you, but I don't help demons! I don't have time and even if I did, you've given me no good reason to help you! Now if you don't mind, I'm _busy_ and you've made me _late!_"

Joey frowned as he watched the brunet storm away, then sighed, brows furrowing together in frustration. Momentarily defeated, he set the bouquet on the ground and turned, disappearing from sight in a puff of smoke.

Mokuba frowned as his brother slid into the car, already irate. "What's wrong, Seto? And who were you yelling at?" He leaned around him and frowned. "Where'd _that_ come from?"

Seto frowned as he glanced back and saw the bouquet, then schooled his face back into a blank mask. "Never mind. We're going to be late."

"…I think you should start seeing your therapist again," the younger boy mumbled, frowning in concern.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I told you, Joey! I'm not going to help you! I don't have time! Stop bringing me your flowers, stop asking me for help, and _go home!_" Seto roared, frustrated.

The demon just didn't know when to quit! He'd returned every day before he left in the morning and just when he was returning home, offering him a bouquet of flowers and nearly begging for his help. He wanted to be left alone. All of the other demons had left after a few days, but it was going on the second month the blond had been pestering him!

Joey flinched a little but offered him the bouquet again. "Please? I'll owe you three really big favors if ya help me."

Seto glanced down at the violet anemones being held out to him. "Oh? And why would you do that?"

"That's what humans like, isn't it?" the blond asked uncertainly. "…They… they like someone more powerful t' be in their debts?"

It annoyed him that the demon believed he was just some ordinary human that just _happened_ to be able to see demons, but he had to admit that, especially in the business world, having someone more powerful in your debt was the ideal situation. Snatching the bouquet out of the blond's slightly trembling arms, he sighed in frustration and stomped into the house.

Joey went to the window immediately, hoping that it had just been the human's way of saying he'd at least think about it. _'Oh, please say you'll help me! Please!'_

He held his breath as he watched the brunet pause in entryway, staring at the bunch of purple flowers he held. He examined them carefully, then sneered in disgust and threw the bouquet on the ground carelessly.

Joey felt his heart break. _'….Then you won't help me?'_ He frowned as he saw another boy stumble over the flowers, then smiled a little when he saw the boy pick them up. He'd tried the younger of the two brothers first, if only because younger children were more willing to help demons (usually without knowing it) and because they usually had the ability to see things like the supernatural. He sort of wished that it had worked.

He was losing hope. He desperately needed help, but the only one that could help him didn't want anything to do with him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba was sick.

Seto scowled, trying to figure out how his brother had been so healthy and then fallen so violently ill that the doctors warned him that he may need to go to the hospital for help. The doctors had explained that it was almost like a bad reaction to an allergy, so he carefully scanned his brother's room for anything that could have caused it.

His heart skipped when he saw the striped carnations sitting in a vase on top of his brother's TV; he recognized it as the bouquet the demon had given him two days ago—the last one, because he hadn't showed up since. He knew that his brother would usually keep the bouquets, because it seemed like a shame that they go to waste, but Mokuba had never been allergic to carnations before… so why…? Why was he getting sick now?

Seto growled quietly as he suddenly noticed the dark aura around the flowers, narrowing his eyes at the seemingly innocent flora as he stalked over to it. After a few more moments of examination, he cursed and grabbed the partly-dry flowers quickly, stalking over to his brother's trash bin and throwing them in. Then, grabbing his lighter from his pocket, he lit a scrap of paper on fire before dropping it into the bin and watching everything slowly burn away.

He made sure the fire was out, even going so far as to wash the bin out in the tub, before going back to his little brother and checking his temperature hopefully. He'd burned the flowers that had cursed him. He should get better, right?

Mokuba's temperature had gone up point three degrees.

Seto gritted his teeth angrily and slammed his fist onto the bed, knowing it wouldn't disturb his brother while he was suffering from feverish dreams. "Damn it!" If it hadn't been the flowers themselves that were cursed, and a curse had just transferred from the flowers to his brother, he'd have no choice but to go beg the demon that had cursed him for mercy.

He really didn't want to have to do that, especially to a demon that had begged him for three months for help. Joey would probably just laugh in his face, tell him he got what he deserved. He didn't understand why, though. Joey hadn't seemed vindictive enough to curse his _brother_ for his unhelpful nature. Why would he…?

…He'd just have to find him and ask.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Damn it—ow! I hate my life!" Seto grunted as he struggled out of some bushes, only relaxing when he saw Joey sitting on a stump before a decrepit little shrine, sipping a cup of what he could only assume was tea. He frowned when he heard the roar of an engine and looked around in confusion.

…Why was Joey calmly sipping tea when there were bulldozers revving up to tear down that old, falling-apart shrine!

Joey blinked as the brunet stumbled up to him, then offered him his cup. "You look like you've been runnin' forever. Have a drink."

Seto glared at him. "Shut up! Don't act so calmly! There are bulldozers right over there, about to run over you because they can't see you, and you want to give me tea? Get out of the way!"

The demon scowled when the brunet tried to pull him away and yanked his hand free. "Even if I _don't_ get crushed by those things, I'm still gonna die. If you're here for any other reason, please get t' the point or leave."

The brunet frowned in confusion. "…What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ that my soul is sealed in an amulet inside the shrine. It's been fortified with monk prayer, so I can't touch it. I came t' ya to ask if you'd come and release my soul," Joey explained, then took another sip of his tea. "But you refused. So here I am. The amulet will probably shatter as soon as it hits the floor, so at least I'll have a swift death."

Seto felt his stomach twist with guilt. The demon had only wanted him to remove something from a shrine, something so simple, that probably wouldn't have taken more than a half an hour, and he'd turned him down saying he didn't have enough time. Now, the demon was going to die, and his little brother was sick—

"Wait! What about Mokuba? I saw those flowers you left! They were cursed, and—" If Mokuba _and_ the demon were going to die, he didn't know _what_ he would do!

Joey snorted bitterly. "I'm not that mean. If he survives the fever, the curse I put on him will die as soon as I will. I just wanted ya to come see what ya damned me to." He turned the cup in his hand, frowning, then sniffed and took another sip of tea. "'m a terrible guardian. Humans keep coming and tearing up my forest, killing my servants, and I can't do anything that scares them away for long. They always come back."

Seto couldn't help but cringe at the sound of tears in the demon's voice, the helplessness. Over the three months Joey had come, day after day, he'd only seen him calm, inquisitive, hopeful. He'd never seen him so bitter and anguished. It didn't seem right.

It didn't seem right that Joey would never leave him another bouquet, that he wouldn't be there in the morning to wish him a good day or welcome him back home from a long day of work. Mokuba had grown accustomed to the bouquets that were left, too. He'd ask why they stopped so abruptly, and he'd be hard-pressed to answer 'the demon that kept bringing them is dead now.'

He didn't want to tell his brother what he saw. He didn't want to tell his brother that he'd killed the demon, too. He didn't want Joey to die. He didn't want to watch him sit here, so resigned to death that he faced the bulldozers and merely waited.

He didn't want to lose Joey.

Joey squeaked as the brunet shoved past him, nearly toppling off his seat, then straightened and huffed at him. "Jerk! I'm about t' die, you could at least be a little respectful-! …What are you doing?" He stood up as he watched the human kick in some of the moldy, weak boards of the shrine, squeaking again as he began to squirm inside. "Where are you going! The bulldozers are comin'! You're gonna get crushed in there! Seto! Seto!"

"Oh, shut up, Joey. I'll be back out in a minute," Seto snapped, glaring at him from inside the shrine, before he turned and examined the area around him.

Most of it was a moldy black, like the wood protecting it, and that was probably why it was condemned. There were gaps in the ceiling letting in small shafts of light, giving him just enough to see by. Spotting something that glittered, he frowned and made his way over to it.

There were scratch marks all around the wooden box—the only pieces of wood that seemed to be healthy and rot-free—as if something had been clawing at it frantically. Eventually, he realized it must have been Joey. The latches glowed with a faint sheen of powerful magic from the monks that had long since abandoned it, so he'd probably tried to claw his way through the wood, despite eventually realizing that the magic had probably fortified it, too.

Seto unlatched the box carefully, watching the wood rot and the metal latches rust before his eyes as the magic dissipated. He picked up the amulet and looked at it for a moment, unable to help thinking that the roiling gold-black inside the gem suited the demon outside. Underneath all of that feigned calm, he was passionate and powerful.

Gently lifting the amulet out of the box, he tucked it into his pocket carefully before turning to head back to the hole he'd come in through. He was momentarily disoriented as the building shook until he remembered the bulldozers that had been closing in on it. He looked up as the roof began to cave in. "…Damn."

He grunted as he suddenly felt a sucking sensation, as if he was being squeezed into something too small for even an ant, and then that feeling ended abruptly. He gasped and glanced around again, wondering if that's what being buried and dying felt like, only to frown as he realized he was outside, safe, as he watched the bulldozers smash into the shrine. The wood crumbled and fell.

Seto pulled the amulet out of his pocket and frowned as he looked at the dimming glow, then scowled. He had _not_ just gone through all of that trouble just to have the demon die in his place!

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey mewled helplessly and tried to shift under the rubble he'd been buried under, whimpering as it just settled on him more firmly, crushing his chest uncomfortably to the ground. He couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't do _anything!_ He was dying here, being slowly suffocated, and he had nothing to show for it but a human that would probably forget about him as soon as he walked away! Was this the thanks he received for trying to protect the forest?

If it was, it was terrible thanks!

He gasped as he felt a surge of power, trembling as he felt himself slam into the ground. He was still breathless, but more from having the breath knocked out of him than from being crushed under anything. Lifting his gaze in confusion, he blinked at the hand being offered him, then hesitantly slipped his own shaking hand into it.

Seto pulled him to his feet, making sure he could stand by himself, then scowled, carefully brushing the hair out of the demon's eyes. "You could have been killed."

Joey took stock of his injuries, already healing because of his own powers and the forest's want to protect its own protector. Comparing them to the frailty of the human body, he frowned. "You _definitely_ would've been killed." His eyes brightened as they landed on the amulet he'd given up as a lost cause. "You found it!"

"Yes, I did." Seto scowled. "And I'm not going to give it back."

Joey blinked, then frowned in confusion. "But… but why? It's mine, and…"

"God knows what would happen to you if I gave your soul back." The brunet huffed and shoved the amulet into his pocket. "I've grown accustomed to certain pains in my ass, and unfortunately, you've become one of them. So, to keep you safe, I'm keeping your soul locked safely in my house. Nothing will happen to it there."

"But… but it's _mine!_ I should be the one controllin' it, not _you—_"

"And I would be very grateful if you'd go and take the curse off of my brother."

"—So I should—" Joey paused, then frowned in confusion. Once he realized what the brunet was talking about, however, he squeaked and hurriedly made his way back to the human's mansion, disappearing from the human's presence in a burst of smoke.

If he didn't die, the curse on Mokuba wouldn't end, so he'd have to go take it off manually. But he'd _for sure_ argue with Seto about his soul later, once his brother was no longer sick!

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stroked the younger boy's forehead, unable to help a smile as his brow relaxed; his fever had broken immediately after he'd lifted the curse, so he'd be fine now.

Now, all he had to do was convince Seto that he should have his soul back. He wasn't sure how he would do that, since the human was a stubborn ass, but he would use all of the explanations and excuses in his arsenal (which was quite large, considering he'd been alive for six centuries already). He'd just start with his strongest excuse and work from there.

Turning, he squeaked in surprise when he found Seto leaning in the doorway. "How long have you been standin' there!"

"Long enough to see you take care of my brother, even though his fever has already broken. You're a real softie, aren't you, Joey?" Seto smirked and motioned for the blond to follow him out into the hallway. "Not that I mind, of course."

Joey huffed and crossed his arms in embarrassment. "Whatever." He glanced around the hall and frowned, then schooled his face into a glare. "Gimme back my soul."

The brunet stared at him for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "And just why should I?"

"Because if ya don't, I'll just kill ya and steal it!" the demon snarled, waving his tail threateningly, before letting out a quiet, disgruntled mew when the other boy grabbed his horn. "Hn!"

Seto smirked. "You've already said that you can't touch the amulet. It would burn you. And we've already come to the conclusion that you're a big softie." He gave the horn a little wiggle, grinning when the blond could only whimper and allow his head to be moved about. "So what's your next move? Threaten to hurt my brother? We both know that that will just give me even more reason to not give it to you."

Joey tried to jerk away, whining when the brunet refused to let go. "Let me go! Damn it, ya bastard, why are you doin' this t' me?"

"Hmm." The human shrugged "I assumed it would be obvious." He slid his hand from the demon's horn into his hair.

"Ah-!" Joey gasped as he was yanked up against the brunet's body, blushing as he was forced onto his toes by the grip on his hair so that their noses brushed slightly. "Ah…?"

Seto hummed quietly, then dipped his head a little, closing the distance between their lips swiftly. He swallowed the blond's startled squeak and immediately plunged his tongue into his mouth.

The blond squealed in confusion, every instinct telling him that suddenly he was the less powerful prey of the human in front of him, and he didn't like that. He tried to free himself, tried to move away, but then that tongue was doing something strange—a curl, or a swipe, or something—and he was unable to do anything but lean against him, legs trembling as he was gently pushed back against the wall.

The human broke the kiss slowly, brushing his lips over the blond's jaw a few times, then leaned back to comb his fingers through the golden hair. "I'll keep your soul safe, Joey. Trust me."

Joey stared up at him in confusion, brows furrowing together, then turned his gaze on the brunet's lips. Lifting his hand to his own lips, he traced them with his fingertips before he slowly nodded his head. "Okay."


	27. Snake Kisses

Author's Notes: GOD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME AND THIS SNAKE FETISH! GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I'm so sorry. **;**( I really am.

On a happier note! **:**D Thanks to Sir Shirkin for this idea! I've been toying around with it for a while, and have finally churned out something semi-decent. -_-

* * *

Snake Kisses

Seto glared at the broken pieces of wood that had washed up on his shore and rumbled quietly in annoyance. Damn whatever ship that had been foolish enough to sail out in Poseidon's storm! Now it was all over his beach! _He_ had to clean it up! Humans were officially the bane of his existence. Gods… Well, at least he'd have firewood for a while.

Grumbling to himself, he began picking up the broken pieces of wood that had once been a magnificent ship. He paused by a larger piece, then sighed and set down the smaller ones he'd gathered so he could break it apart and get it out of the way. While he would admit that he hated doing these things, he also had to concede that it gave him something to do during his normally boring days.

Hmm. A human body. Well, at least he'd have something to eat that wasn't fish or crustaceans. …He needed to get out more; the idea was making him way too happy. Perhaps he could go visit—

Seto was embarrassed to admit that he had let out a decidedly unmanly squeal when the human body turned out to still be alive, body heaving with a violent cough before it fell still again. "Poseidon Zeus and Hera-!"

The human twitched, shivering, then managed to roll onto its side. "H… hel…p…"

"What in gods' names—" Seto tossed the piece of lumber he was holding away and knelt beside the prone human, gently turning him onto his back and sitting him up. "…Hmm… You don't seem to have any major wounds… A few cuts, perhaps, but—No! Don't open your eyes!"

He didn't want to turn anything that could potentially be food into stone, damn it—

"Nngh… Thirsty…!"

Seto could only stare, surprised when he found the eyes gazing up at him sightlessly; the amber irises were cloudy, pupils dilated oddly in the sunlight. "…You're blind."

"Ha… Yes…" The human shivered as he felt the other man's fingertips trailing down his cheek. "Help me…!"

It felt strange, holding someone in his arms as they stared up at him without feeling cold, hard stone. He was used to accidentally turning the humans that came upon him to stone, of having to get rid of the shocked and horrified-looking statues that had once been humans. It had been so long since he'd held someone that wasn't petrified to hard rock.

…Humans… were surprisingly beautiful.

The human's breath hitched as he lifted him up, as if he'd never been touched gently, and after years of hearing nothing but screams abruptly cut off into stony silence, Seto couldn't help but think the noise was beautiful. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The blond whimpered quietly. "W-water…?"

He'd probably been out on the beach all night during the storm, cowering under the remnants of his ship and terrified because he couldn't see what was going on around him. He was lucky that a satyr or harpy hadn't smelled him and searched him out. Normally, those creatures would stay away from his beach, but after storms like the one just before, harpies and satyrs were too wound up to care about angering the gorgon that normally didn't care as long as they didn't bother him.

Placing the blond on a blanket carefully, he took a moment to wrap another one around him to keep the chill off. "I'll go get you some water. Don't move."

The human held the blankets around his naked body tightly, unable to help a nervous tremble. "O-okay…"

Well, at least the human could _sense_ that he was dangerous. That was comforting.

Seto picked among the cups that he'd gathered from previous victims before finding a larger bowl and went outside to get some fresh water. Coming back into the cave he lived in, he scooped some water into a small cup, then grabbed the human's hands so he could place them around it. "Drink that. I'll throw some wood on the fire and find something dry for you to wear." He placed the bowl on the blond's lap. "Here's some more water when you drink all that. Just dip your cup in."

"Okay," the blond repeated quietly, lifting the cup to his mouth. Once his lips found the edge of the cup, he drank greedily.

The gorgon snorted in amusement and threw some wood on the fire he always kept going, then began picking through the clothes that had accumulated with his victims, trying to find something that might fit the blind boy's smaller body. Dark green would look good on him. He was pale, probably from staying inside all the time when his family or friends couldn't help him get around. The dark green would hopefully make him look a little less washed out.

Hmm. The only thing he found was a woman's toga. …Well, it's not like the blond would be able to tell anyway…

"…Hey, you're going to make yourself sick like that!" Seto snapped, pulling the cup from the human's lips. The bowl of water was almost empty. "I meant drink it slowly. I don't want you vomiting and making a mess of my cave."

"C-cave?" The blond cleared his throat, then tilted his head up, as if to look at him. "…I was right, huh. I thought… You're not human, are ya?" He bit his bottom lip. "…Are you a god?"

Seto snorted bitterly. "A god? I think not." He took the bowl from the human's lap and threw the toga at him. "Put that on. I'll go get more water. Are you warming up?"

The blond nodded hesitantly. "Yes."

"Good." The gorgon left to get another bowl of water, frowning when he saw just how much water was left inside. The human must have been so dehydrated… But honestly. If he threw up in his cave, he was pitching him into the ocean.

Coming back into his cave, he paused to watch the blond wriggle uncomfortably as he tucked the blanket back around his body. "…My name is Seto," he stated after a moment, walking over to gently set the bowl beside him. "And I'm certainly not a god. I used to be human like you." He reached out to gently rub the blond hair between his fingers. "I pissed off the wrong god and got turned into a gorgon. I'm hoping someday I'll convince Poseidon that I should be human again, but until then, staying in here where no one bothers me is the best I can do."

"A gorgon?" The human frowned in confusion. "I thought gorgons were female…"

"Yes, they are. Poseidon thought it would be funny," Seto stated dryly. "But he has a twisted sense of humor."

"Oh." The blond nibbled his bottom lip for a few moments, then lifted his head again. "My name is Joey. I'm… I'm sorry I'm puttin' you out. If I could see, I'd get outta your hair, but…"

The older boy snorted. "If you could see, you'd be dead. You would have seen me when you woke and you'd be stone."

"Oh. …I guess bein' blind is good for something, then…" Joey lifted a hand to rub his eyes, licking his lips, then blushed a little and turned his head away. "…I… I don't know what a gorgon looks like."

"Ugly," Seto replied blandly. "Snakes for hair."

"Oh." The blond nibbled on his lip again, blush darkening. "…Could I… May I see you?"

The gorgon blinked at him, baffled. "…Did… a god give you the gift of seeing another way?"

"No, I just…" Joey lifted his hands. "I can feel things. I'll be able to make a picture in my head with what I feel—if your skin is smooth, your facial features, how muscular or fat ya are. May I see you?"

Ah, the human was asking for permission to touch him, not use some queer, god-given way to see him visually. He supposed he could deal with that. "Alright." He tilted his head when the blond's hands hesitated.

"…Your… your hair won't bite me, will it?" the smaller boy asked nervously, fingers hovering over the gorgon's chin.

Seto couldn't help a short chuckle of amusement as he sat back, crossing his legs in front of him. "No. The snakes are an extension of me. They'll be curious, but they won't bite."

"Oh." Joey giggled in embarrassment and turned his head away, eyes sliding closed for a moment, then turned to face him again and sat up straight.

He bit his bottom lip again and gently cupped the man-turned-monster's cheeks, slowly sliding his left hand down over his chin, his neck, and across his shoulder. He took note of the muscles rippling under his fingers as he slid them down his arm and the smoothness of his skin as they slid back up. He blushed a little as his hand slid down the gorgon's bare chest and abdomen, especially when he heard the other man moan quietly. He let his hand come to a stop on his muscular thigh, fingers trembling a little as the muscles flexed beneath them.

Desperate to take his mind off the muscles that had seemed to flex to show off to him, Joey slid the hand still cupping the gorgon's cheek down a little, fingertips gently tracing over his lips. He slid his fingers up over the bridge of his nose, around his eyes, and over his forehead. He stopped just short of his scalp, still a little nervous. When he realized he might be offending the gorgon by still showing fear despite the help he'd been given, he hesitantly slid his fingers into his scalp, shivering as he felt the wriggling bodies between his fingers.

He squeaked as he felt something tickling his skin all over his hand. "What are they doing!"

"Relax. They're just smelling you. …They use their tongues to smell," Seto explained, glancing upward. He smiled a little as he watched one of the snakes wriggle affectionately between the blond's fingers; while they were extensions of him, they still adored affection, since he'd been starved of interaction outside of fights with satyrs and harpies.

"Oh. So… they're not gonna hurt me?" When the older boy hummed an affirmative, he hesitantly lifted his other hand into gorgon's 'hair,' giggling a little when the snakes hurried to give that one the same amount of affection. "What color are they?"

"They're white."

Joey smiled a wistful smile. "White. I wonder what white looks like." He slid a hand back to cup his cheek. "What color are your eyes?"

"…They're blue," Seto answered quietly, frowning as the blond's wistful smile faded a little. "…You don't know what blue looks like, either, do you?"

The human flinched and abruptly yanked his hands back to his chest, turning his head away quickly. "…Blue is… round… and sweet. At least, that's what my sister told me. She gave me some berries and told me they were blue," he explained softly. He flinched again as he felt something warm and wet sliding down his cheek and hurriedly wiped it away.

"…You aren't missing anything, Joey. I'm ugly anyway," the gorgon whispered, pulling the smaller boy into his arms.

Joey whimpered quietly. "…Thank you for not treatin' me like an idiot." He nuzzled against the gorgon's neck. "For lettin' me fill my own cup and dressin' myself. My family never let me do that stuff myself. 'nd when my mom and sister left, my dad didn't wanna do it."

"Were you on a ship to go meet your mother and sister?" Seto frowned when the blond sobbed and shook his head. "What, then?"

"My dad didn't wanna help me so he put me on the cheapest ship he could find and said that I could use my body to earn my food!" the younger boy cried, shaking.

The gorgon couldn't help a growl of fury at that. "Oh, did he?"

"The captain was nice enough to let me share his cabin and gave me food free of charge. I hope he didn't suffer when he died…"

Seto stroked the human's hair and kissed the top of his head. "He probably didn't suffer." He took a few moments to soothe the younger boy, waiting until his sobs faded into random hiccups before he made the blond lean back. He cupped the human's flushed cheeks and used his thumbs to gently brush his tears away.

Joey sniffled and whimpered a little longer before reaching up to gently grasp one of the gorgon's hand with both of his own. "…I'm sorry. I just needed to cry a little."

"That's fine." The older boy smiled a little and ruffled his hair. "I need to go out and clean the beach. Will you be okay in here?"

"Is… is there anything I can do?" the human asked, voice trailing off when he realized how stupid he sounded.

"Hmm." Seto tilted his head a little, then stood up. "I think I have something for you to do."

Joey lifted his head hopefully. "Really?"

"It's not much. I just want you to carry the wood I pick up. Is that okay?" Seto asked, reaching down to help him up.

The human was eager to show he was useful. "Yes! I wanna help!"

Seto rolled his eyes but led him out of the cave. "Alright."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto? Seto, are you awake…?" Joey listened to the gorgon breathe for a few moments, then sighed when he found his breaths steady in sleep. He trailed his fingers over the older boy's chest idly, waiting for him to wake up. While he knew that, after several months of living with the gorgon, he could basically roll on top of him and braid his snakes into a bunch of little dreadlocks and he wouldn't care, he also knew just how grumpy the older boy could be when he woke up in the morning.

He wasn't quite sure what had caused it, but one morning, he'd pestered the gorgon soon after he'd woken up, and had been pitched into the sea. Seto had never apologized.

Joey frowned as his fingers rubbed over something that made the older boy groan, then blushed when he realized he'd trailed his fingers over the man-turned-monster's nipple. "Oh-!" He squeaked as the gorgon grabbed him and began nuzzling the top of his head. "Ee-! S-Seto!"

Seto rumbled quietly in his sleep and gripped the blond around the waist tightly, one hand sliding down to cup his rear. "Mm…"

"…" Joey tried to calm his breathing, even though all he wanted to do was panic. What if Seto woke up? What if he thought that he'd tried to take advantage of him, or got angry, and threw him into the ocean again? It had taken him forever to figure out which way was the shore last time!

He gasped quietly as he felt the older boy arch his hips upward, blushing again as he felt something hard rub against his abdomen. "Nnh! Seto-!" Abruptly, he found himself acquainted with the floor, confused and disoriented. "Uh!"

Seto sat up straight sharply, instinctively covering his crotch with his hands as he glared at the blond in confusion. "What the-? Joey, what in gods' names were you doing!"

"I was just—I don't know-!" He turned his head away in embarrassment. "I was just waitin' for you to wake up, and—"

"You molested me!"

"I didn't mean to! I couldn't tell until I—"

"What do you mean you couldn't tell!"

"I'm _blind!_"

Seto snorted and covered his mouth quickly, biting his tongue to keep from actually laughing. He'd forgotten in the fog of just waking up that the blond couldn't see what exactly he was touching and wouldn't be able to tell what it was _unless_ he touched it. Seeing him so flustered and indignant was just too cute.

Cute? Yes. He liked the little human in every single way—especially when he blushed and sputtered indignantly, if only because seeing him shake his fist in the wrong direction was incredibly funny.

"B-besides! You were the one humpin' me!" Joey added in embarrassment. He whined quietly when the gorgon lost his battle to control his amusement and roared with laughter. "It's not funny! Stop laughin' at me!"

Seto calmed himself down quickly, but only because the blond looked absolutely miserable in his embarrassment and helplessness on the floor. "Sorry. I wasn't laughing at you."

"Yes you were! Don't lie!" The human squirmed as he was gently pulled back into the gorgon's arms. "Don't hug me! I'm mad at you!"

"No, it's funny because for a minute there I forgot that you were blind," he explained, combing his fingers through the blond's hair. "Sometimes the harpies make a game out of who can molest me the furthest. They've gotten very good at not looking at my face." He did not mention the dozens of harpy statues resting at the bottom of the sea.

Joey frowned. "…That's not a very nice game."

"The harpies aren't very nice creatures," Seto replied, shrugging. "…I'm sorry about humping you, I guess. It's been years since I've actually had sex."

"Oh." The blond reached up to idly stroke some of the snakes, unable to help a smile as one of the more affectionate 'strands of hair' gently nibbled his pinky. "…Ya really like me, don't you, Seto? Your snakes never get mean with me."

"Of course I like you. It's lonely here." Seto glanced up at his 'hair' and frowned. "The snakes may be getting minds of their own, though. They like you more than they like me."

Joey giggled in embarrassment and punched his shoulder. "Shut up." He squealed as one of the larger snakes wrapped around his wrist, keeping his hand in place for other snakes to begin nibbling and licking his hand—or kissing, as he'd come to think of it. Nibbling his bottom lip for a moment, he ducked his head and quietly asked, "Would you ever have sex with me?" Then, he waited for rejection.

Seto blinked at him for a few minutes, honestly confused by why he would ask something like that. "Did you think I was complaining? I don't mind not having sex—"

"That's not why I was askin'," the blond assured quickly.

"Hmm." The gorgon eyed him thoughtfully, then leaned down and gently kissed his neck. When the blond shivered and flinched, he chuckled. "Did that tickle?"

Joey blushed and covered his face with his free hand in embarrassment. "Yes…!"

"I wouldn't mind having sex with you. I've thought about it a few times, and I must say that it appeals to me, but I'm also content just holding you and kissing you once in a while," Seto explained, kissing his cheek. He paused, then sat up straight and raised an eyebrow. "Do you… _want_ me to have sex with you?"

"…Sort of." Feeling the snake around his wrist finally uncoil, he pulled his hand back and began playing with his fingers. "…I've always wondered what sex feels like, but I've never had anyone I've really trusted that I'd feel comfortable havin' sex with." He bit his bottom lip again. "…I'd feel comfortable having sex with _you_, I think."

The gorgon hummed quietly, surprised that he actually understood the blind boy's sometimes questionable logic. "Hmm. Well, I'd be honored to be the first to show you how good sex can be. But I'd like you to think about it a little longer, in any case." He lifted one of the blond's hands to gently kiss the back of it. "I don't want you to just think. I want you to _know_ you'd be comfortable with me, and I want you to think about this, too; it has literally been _years_ for me_._ As sure as I am that I haven't forgotten anything to keep you from getting hurt, it's completely possible that once I start, I won't stop again until I'm finished, whether or not you beg for me to stop. Keep that in mind. Think about it a little longer. Make your decision carefully."

Joey frowned as he felt the older boy kiss his hand again and laid his head on his chest; he'd never thought about that before, but it made sense. After a minute, he decided he'd think about it later, so he changed the subject a little. "…Your snakes like kissin' me."

"Of course they do." Seto snorted. "You're the only person that's ever touched them kindly. Satyrs try to cut my head off and harpies try and slice off my snakes as souvenirs."

"That seems… cruel." The blond reached up to pet the snakes again, cooing at them sweetly. "You guys are just so sweet! Why would anybody try and hurt you?"

Seto smiled as the human stroked and pet the snakes that made up his twisted form of hair, wrapping his arms around him gently. "I'll have to go get some food eventually, Joey."

"I know. Can we have fish instead of crab? Crab is hard to eat."

"…Not to mention one 'attacked' you—"

"Shut up! It just came up and pinched my butt! What else was I supposed to do, just sit there and take it!"

Seto rolled his eyes and coughed to cover up a snort of amusement. Watching the blond run around, screaming like a banshee and flailing blindly, had actually had him in stitches of laughter for days.

…Joey hadn't talked to him for a week after it, though. That had almost hurt.

Sighing quietly, he kissed the blond's forehead before he stood up. "Alright. Fish it is."

Joey lifted his hands for help up. "I wanna come too!"

Seto snorted again but helped him up nevertheless. "What are you going to do? Try and catch fish, too?"

"No!" The blond sniffed indignantly. "I'm gonna sit there and look cute."

The gorgon could only blink for a few minutes, stunned, even as the blond placed his hand against the wall to guide him to the mouth of the cave. "…Did you really just say that?"

Joey didn't even turn his head to acknowledge him. "No, it's all in your mind."


	28. Slave

Author's Note: Seto, you moron. **:|** I don't know why Joey puts up with you.

On another note, this is another human-with-dragon-wings-and-tail story. A story I began liking, but ended up displeased in the end. Why do you do this to me, brain!

* * *

Slave

Joey raised an eyebrow as he looked the other dragon up and down. He was taller, built more for power than agility, but by no means overweight. His blue eyes flashed dangerously with fury. His white tail was tied firmly to the bases of his wings, making both useless for fight or flight. His hair was brown and cut at an angle that made his features appear sharper, more menacing.

"…Teguchi…" Joey leaned toward the little man, frowning. "I thought I asked to see a bed slave."

The gray-winged dragon nodded quickly. "You did, m'lord."

"…This… this is not a bed slave," the blond muttered in confusion, motioning to the white dragon's larger, more muscular body. "Unless your plan was for him to rip me to pieces. He'd be good for a guard slave, or event a servant, but…" His red-brown eyes suddenly hardened. "Let me guess. He's a difficult slave and you're trying to shove him off on me." When Teguchi flinched, he nodded sharply. "I see."

He hated being known for his gentle handling of slaves. He acknowledged that they were people, too, with thoughts and feelings, unlike a lot of the other dragons in their area. And, after seeing this slave firsthand, he knew he wouldn't be treated well by any other slave owners—or by Teguchi, for that matter.

Joey sighed. He'd only budgeted for one slave—a bed slave—and now his money was going to be wasted on a person that probably wouldn't appreciate it and would instead snarl and snap at him. Turning toward the slave-dealer, he grumbled a little before dropping a small sack of gold at his feet. "Alright. I'll take him. That had better be enough; I only came for a bed slave."

"Very good, m'lord!" Teguchi greedily scooped up the sack, then peered up at him slyly. "Would you care to examine any other slaves, m'lord?"

"_No._ And I may very well take my business elsewhere," Joey snarled, glaring at him, then snapped his fingers at the man's two servants. "Take him to my carriage." He waited for the servants to mumble quick 'yes sirs' and drag the white dragon away, then turned his glare back on the slave dealer. "Teguchi…"

Teguchi swallowed nervously. "Y-yes m'lord?"

"I've been coming and asking for a bed slave once every four months," the blond hissed, eyes glowing in fury. "And I have yet to leave with one. I grow tired of adopting all your misfit slaves." He lifted his tail and pointed the end of the barb in the man's face. "Don't forget that I'm of higher rank than you. If I continue to be displeased, I can make more trouble than you're even worth—all for want of a _bed_ slave."

Teguchi whimpered quietly as some poison dripped from the blond's barb, sizzling when it hit the ground. "Y-yes, m'lord."

"It's nice to see you know what's good for you," Joey hissed, still glaring at him, then stormed past him to leave the building. He choked on an angry roar when he saw the brunet he'd just bought tied to the back of the carriage. "Oh, for the love of Ra and all things that fly-! He's not running after my fucking carriage!"

His driver, a pleasant old man that had apparently worked for his family ever since his mother was a child, shrugged helplessly. "I told them that, but does anyone listen to an old man anymore?"

"_I_ listen to old men! They're the only ones that have any sense! GAH! Could this day get _any_ worse!"

Thunder rumbled above them.

Joey's face twisted into an angry scowl as a flash of lightning signaled the beginning of one of the summer storms, mood darkening as the torrential rain started. "Fuck my life." Slogging through the already thick mud, he trudged over to untie the brunet from the back of his carriage. He pushed him into the carriage ahead of him, pausing only long enough to tell his driver not to spare the dragon-horses.

He cursed loudly as another carriage rushed by, spraying him with mud and water. Scrambling inside the carriage, he slammed the door shut, curling up to shiver on one side of the carriage when he saw his new slave sitting on the other. He kept his gaze resolutely on the wall even as he hugged his knees to his chest. He'd wanted to appear impressive to the other man, especially when he realized that he must have had high rank in his own territory. Instead, he'd just looked like an idiot.

He hissed another curse as he noticed the thick cloak still folded neatly on top of the sheet, then snatched it up and opened the wooden blinds to lean out the window. "Oi, old man! You forgot your cloak!" He waited for the man to slow the carriage a little before lifting the cloak to him. "Here. I don't want you getting sick." He stayed out only long enough to make sure the driver had put his cloak on properly before sliding back into the carriage and carefully covering the window again.

Joey frowned as he finally looked at the other man sitting with him, unable to help feeling uncomfortable under his intense blue gaze. He turned his gaze on his dirty feet instead. Just like he could tell that the other man was a noble in his territory, he could also tell that he was much more comfortable in that position as well.

He was never meant to be a noble, and he knew it. He still wasn't quite sure how his mother's family had found him, and he was still baffled as to how they'd convinced him to accept a place as heir to his uncle. He understood it being about the oldest and closest male relative, and perhaps the thought of being able to take care of his sister and mother if the need arose was comforting.

He just felt uncomfortable, pretending to be someone he was not, especially in front of someone that obviously grew up with that privilege. He felt small, out of place—but most of all, he felt like a complete and total loser.

He was certain that the brunet wielded his power to his advantage, always coming out on top. He'd have no trouble finding a mate, and probably only had to smile a charming smile to have anyone running to his bed, whether it was a bed slave or another noble.

Joey always had trouble trying to court people to be his mate. He was too awkward in his position as a noble to really attract anyone, because most people found his clumsiness and fumbling far from attractive. Finally, he'd had to resort to finding a bed slave, no matter how pathetic and scummy it made him feel. He knew he could find a mate if he was still a low-rank nobody. He was perfectly at home as a nobody.

Of course, all of his attempts at finding a bed slave were always foiled by Teguchi, who had seen how vulnerable he was that first time and quickly taken advantage of him, foisting off a slave too stubborn to be tamed at too high a price. He wasn't quite sure why he'd snapped _this_ time. Perhaps it was because he was getting desperate to have sex, almost willing to crawl into a brothel despite the uproar he knew it would raise among his family. He just… really wanted someone to touch him, that he could touch back; he wanted someone to appreciate his body, to appreciate him, but he knew he just couldn't impress anyone when he didn't even feel attractive.

Joey frowned and looked down at the dark robes he was wearing. They were ruined, splattered with mud and dirty water. He was going to get yelled at for his carelessness for sure. Not to mention he'd bought another slave that his family would deem 'useless' as well. He was very bad at this 'noble' thing. …It would probably be best if he just curled up under a rock and died…

It would be best, he decided, if he just set the brunet free. People that were raised as nobles didn't like bending to the whims of others, and he didn't want to deal with his new slave sneering at all the things he did wrong when his family was quite willing to do that already. Of course, he couldn't just buy the brunet and immediately set him free; his family would kill him. No, it would require something a bit more planned out—something he wasn't very good at doing, admittedly, but he already had a general idea of what to do.

"Hmm." He tilted his head thoughtfully, then waved at the brunet. "Hey. I'm gonna need ya t' act like my completely willin' slave." He knew immediately that that had been the wrong thing to say when the white dragon's eyes lit up with fury. He moved toward the door. "H-hey, wait a minute-!"

Snarling into the piece of leather covering his mouth, the brunet lunged at him, wrapping the chains of his handcuffs around his throat. He tugged them tight and refused to let go, intent on strangling his new 'master.'

"Ngh!" Joey wheezed and struggled to wiggle his leg up; he was glad to know that his sneaking around the castle still kept his fighting skills in top condition. Placing his foot on the brunet's chest, he shoved so he was on top. While the white dragon was still disoriented, he twisted out of the chain and curled up in a corner of the carriage, keeping his foot up in case he needed to kick away a second attack. "Ra would ya just listen t' me for a second!"

The brunet hissed behind his gag and glared at him, but the tension that bespoke of the intent to leap again faded from his shoulders. However, while his body relaxed from its attack position, his eyes still glowed with rage.

"…Okay. I'm only sayin' that because I'm plannin' on takin' ya out on a romantic picnic with me, where you'll attack me and escape. I can't take ya on a picnic if you're a bad slave. This is t' help ya escape. Okay? I'm not gonna keep ya forever; I just need ya t' help me so we can help ya get away." He waited anxiously for the brunet to show some sign that he understood, half afraid that he'd try to kill him again. He couldn't help a sigh of relief when the rage in the white dragon's eyes changed to that of understanding.

Slowly withdrawing his foot, he sat up straight and frowned. "I'm gonna take your gag off, okay? Don't attack me. I'm just takin' your gag off." He leaned forward and carefully took the brunet's gag off, unable to help admiring his strong chin and sharp jaw line. "…You okay?"

The brunet licked his lips, throat still a little hoarse from his smothered roars and snarls. "'m fine."

Joey forced himself not to shiver at the deep, husky voice and tilted his head. "What's your name?"

"We don't use names where I come from; we use growls and roars. My name is—" The brunet let out a long, low rumble from deep in his chest.

The blond's eyes widened. "Really?"

"No. I was just messing with you." The white dragon smirked. "My name's Seto."

"…Asshole!" Joey exclaimed, glaring at him halfheartedly. He reached out to fiddle with the leather straps keeping his tail pinned to his wings. "I'd take these off, too, but my aunts and uncle need t' examine ya first. T' see if you're… _suitable_ t' be owned by us, 'r somethin'."

Seto nodded slowly. "I see. I suppose I can understand that." He glanced at the door as he felt the carriage slowing, then turned to look at the blond. He raised an eyebrow as the black dragon's posture straightened. "So you _are_ noble."

"I dunno. Sometimes I wonder myself," the blond mumbled, then reached his hands up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Don't know. I don't know." He closed his eyes and let out a burst of air through his nose. "I'm going to be calm and quiet. I will speak when spoken to and no other reason." He opened his eyes and sighed again, then glanced at the older boy. "…I suppose the same goes for you."

Once the carriage stopped and the door opened, Joey slid out, moaning in his head when he saw his family waiting for him. His head hurt just looking at them. As he heard the brunet slide out behind him, he steeled himself for a confrontation and led his new slave over to them. "I—"

"We see where you've been, Joseph; this is another one of your failed attempts to find a bed slave." His uncle glared at him, then turned his gaze on the brunet. "And just what sort of slave are _you?_ Not a bed slave, I'm sure."

Joey frowned. "He's a—" He yelped as the older man struck him across the face, then looked down at his feet meekly.

"I wasn't asking _you,_ boy." He turned his glare back on the brunet. "Now. What sort of slave are you?"

Seto narrowed his eyes, immediately disliking the man's treatment of his nephew. "As he was about to tell you, _sir._" The word felt sour on his tongue. "I'm his bed slave." He smirked as Joey looked up at him in surprise, then quickly ducked his head again. "At least, that's what I was told I was."

While the man sputtered in either disgust or outrage at his audacity, his wife stepped forward, narrowing her eyes as she forced the blond's chin up. "And yet you've tried to strangle him."

The brunet turned his head to look at the chain-shaped bruising around the smaller boy's neck and raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't strangling him. Well, yes, technically I was, but my intent wasn't to kill him."

Joey's other aunt frowned in confusion. "How can you strangle someone without meaning to kill them? Torture?"

Seto smirked. "I asked him what his kink was. When he said he didn't have one, I told him that erotic asphyxiation was becoming quite popular. …I don't think he knew what it was when he asked me to demonstrate."

The horrified and embarrassed expression on not only Joey's face, but his family's faces as well, was deliciously satisfying.

Joey yelped as he was slapped again, almost confused, but then they were shouting at him about his ruined clothes, and then his appearance in general—moving from the embarrassing topic of sex to the familiar one of finding all of his faults. He sighed but endured their criticism quietly. He really hated living here.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hmph! Tellin' me t' go make use of my new slave! Who the hell do they think they are!"

Seto followed the blond into his room, glancing around idly, then frowned when the blond began throwing his clothes off and stomping over to the bed, body still covered with mud from the other carriage splashing him as it drove by. "You're not even going to take a bath?"

"Why? The servants change my sheets every day. It's not like it matters. I just take a bath in the morning and I'm good," Joey mumbled, scowling.

"I refuse to fuck you like that."

For a few minutes, the room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Eventually, though, the blond turned toward him, blushing darkly and glaring at him. "What was that?"

"Are you a virgin?" Seto walked over to a door and opened it, frowning when he saw it was a closet. He moved to the other door.

"J-just what the hell are ya askin'! I mean, not that it's any of your business that I am, but what makes ya think you're gonna fuck me!" Joey sputtered, scowling.

Humming when he found the bathroom, he opened the door wide and turned back to him, motioning through the door. "If you're a virgin, and I'm your bed slave, you'll be expected to limp tomorrow."

The blond frowned and reached out to hold one of the posts of his bed, clinging to it nervously. He wondered if he'd be so anxious if he'd gotten a female bed slave, or even a smaller male. He'd always known what having a bed slave would mean (usually sex, but sometimes for regular servant duties), but somehow, knowing that he actually had someone willing to sleep with him made it much more real and scary.

"…W-why can't we just bruise my leg or somethin'?" he asked after a moment. "…Why do we actually need to…?"

Seto sighed. "Believe me. Limping because your leg hurts and limping because you've had a dick up your ass all night are quite different." He raised an eyebrow as the blond's cheeks darkened to a deep red. "…You black dragons are a very conservative bunch, being embarrassed by even the thought of sex."

"Shut up!" Joey turned his head away, unable to deny it.

Sex wasn't something talked about secretly, let alone openly. It was done behind closed doors, at night, unless someone was feeling especially bold. Joey didn't know anything more than the basics of sex, other than that after seven years of wanting it, he was still a virgin and wanted to change that.

Seto sighed again, closing his eyes momentarily, then opened them again and walked over to him. He gave the blond a gentle push toward the bathroom. "Jeez. Weren't you the one that told me we needed to pretend to be master and slave? I won't hurt you on purpose; after all, I need you in good shape to be able to go out on a 'romantic picnic,' don't I?"

Joey looked up at him nervously, even as he allowed the brunet to ease him toward the bathroom. "…W-well, yeah, I guess, but…" He stopped in front of the tub and bit his bottom lip. "…C-can't we just… use our mouths?"

"…You want me to use my mouth. For over a week." The older boy gave him a look clearly stating how dumb he thought he was. "That is not going to happen. While I'm quite willing to use my mouth a majority of the time, people _will_ wonder whether one of us is impotent—most likely me—and while I may be a slave here, I'll have you know that I will not have my reputation sullied by that rumor."

The blond's cheeks heated up again. "…So… we're gonna hafta eventually, huh? Until I can get ya away…"

"You see what I've been saying, then." Seto urged him toward the bath. "I'll wait for you on the bed."

Joey looked down at the bathtub and shivered. "…Okay…"

"…The sooner you get back to the bed, the sooner you'll get it over with," the brunet offered, then shut the door to allow him a little more privacy.

Seto sighed as he made his way over to the bed. He'd admit that he was mostly taking advantage of being called a bed slave, but he was an opportunist by nature, and he wanted the opportunity to fuck the interesting and pretty blond silly. However, as he sat down on the sheets, he frowned.

Joey didn't seem happy here. He looked lonely, out of place in this castle. When he'd seen the healer (to make sure he had no sexual diseases, because the heir to the black dragon estate having a sexual disease was unacceptable), it had been explained that Joey was only here because a male had to inherit the property, and his aunt had become barren after having five female children (all of which had been married off already). Joey had been living on the streets until that point, and doing quite well in terms of surviving.

He acted as if he'd rather be back on the streets, and with the way his aunt and uncle treated him, the brunet sort of understood why.

Seto turned his head as he heard the door to the bathroom open and raised an eyebrow at the blond's expression, somehow more hesitant than it had been before. "Are you okay?"

Joey turned his gaze on the floor, blushing again. "…Were you serious about… about the e-erotic asphyxiation?"

"…I have no intention of engaging in erotic asphyxiation with you. While I don't mind doing it for whomever I'm sleeping with, I myself don't like strangling my bed mates." The brunet leered at him. "However, I have quite a few other kinks I could suggest."

The black dragon blushed even more and took a step back, as if to run. After a moment, though, he moaned in mortification and trudged to the bed. Sitting down timidly, he bit his bottom lip. "…I-I… I shouldn't wanna know," he whispered, feeling ashamed for being curious.

"What _have_ you been taught here?" Seto frowned. He'd slept with virgins before, but never one so ashamed of his virginity—or of sex itself—that he felt he shouldn't know more about it. Sighing, he grabbed the blond and pulled him up against his body. "Come here."

"Nn!" Joey shivered anxiously. "W-why!"

"Didn't you want to learn about some kinks?" He'd talk to him about his unnatural aversion to speaking about sex later. "I promise we don't actually have to act on them unless you want to."

"…O-okay," the blond whispered nervously.

Seto kissed his ear gently before whispering, "Some people like spanking. _I_ like spanking my partners. I like seeing them cry and whimper for more. I like seeing their skin turn red from being struck. Does that sound good to you? Do you want to be spanked?"

Joey mewed and hid his face in the brunet's shoulder in embarrassment. "No!"

"That's alright." The older boy smirked and bit on his earlobe gently before continuing. "Other people like _mirrors._ They'll masturbate in front of mirrors, or have sex in front of mirrors… I once heard of an orgy in a room full of mirrors. Do you want to have sex in front of a mirror? Do you want to see everything I'm doing to you?"

He liked that idea even less. There was a reason sex was always had at night; it was _dark._ "No!"

"Hmm. Okay. Would you like to pretend that you don't want it? Some people are aroused by the idea of being raped. The thought of being taken by a stranger against their will is both terrifying and exciting. Do you want to try that?"

Joey shook his head frantically, almost afraid to lift his head. He was already scared enough; he didn't need the terror of being raped added to it! "Please, please don't…!"

Seto lifted a hand to stroke his hair. "Calm down." He turned his head to begin kissing his neck. "I could talk dirty to you. Lots of people like that. I could tell you everything I'm going to do to you."

"…E-everything? There's more than just…" The blond bit his bottom lip in embarrassment. "…Just puttin' it in?"

"Of course there is," the older boy whispered, lips brushing over his ear. "There's _so_ much more."

Joey shivered as he felt the white dragon's sharp fingernails trailing over his hip and nuzzled his neck nervously. "…T-tell me more?"

Seto chuckled quietly. "I'd love to tell you more. Where should I start…?" He slid his hand down and around to cup the blond's cheek, squeezing it firmly. "I know. I'm going to kiss you a little. But it's been a while since I've had sex, so there probably won't be too much foreplay. I'll spread your legs and tease your opening with my fingers. Then I'll get my fingers wet, and I'll work one of them inside of you." He moaned as he heard the younger boy gasp in arousal. "You like that?"

"Nn… I-I don't know—" He gasped again as the brunet's teeth found his jaw. "Ah…!"

"Once I get you loosened up enough, I'm going to slip another one inside." Seto moaned quietly. "I'll stretch you until I can get a third finger in. Once I feel you're loose enough, I'm going to hold your little pucker open and then I'm going to slowly… carefully…" He moaned again and dug his claws into the blond's hip lightly. "…Slide my cock into you."

"Nn!" Joey shuddered as he was turned to lie on his back, looking up at the brunet anxiously. "S-Seto-!"

The older dragon rumbled quietly as he leered down at him. "Do you know what I'm going to do once I have my cock inside you?" When the blond shook his head mutely, he growled. "I'm going to _fuck_ you, Joey. I'm going to pound you into the bed, and once you've come, I'm going to pull you onto my lap and have _you_ work for a while. Do you know how sexy you'll look, bouncing on my dick? _Very_ sexy. And after that, if you haven't passed out, I'm going to bend you over the side of the bed and fuck you some more. Forget limping; you won't even be able to _walk_ tomorrow."

"Seto, I—" The blond gasped as the older boy kissed him, hands falling loosely to his sides as he felt his tongue being toyed with. He shuddered as the brunet's finger flicked across his nipple, hips arching up of their own accord, then whimpered pathetically as those cruel fingers gently pinched and pulled at his nipple. "Mm-! Mn!"

Seto broke the kiss and smirked. "My, my. How sensitive." He leaned down to capture the other hardening nub between his lips, tugging on it lightly with his teeth and smirking wider as the blond yowled. His free hand slid down between his trembling thighs to gently tease his opening.

"—Ah! Seto!" Joey squirmed and dug his fingers into the older boy's hair. "Nn! Ha!"

"Stop squirming. I'll get angry if you make me hurt you," the brunet hissed, even as his fingers circled the ring of muscle guarding the black dragon's virginity. He paused for a moment, then frowned in confusion. "…What is…" He sat up straight and pulled the blond's legs apart, looking down between them in disbelief. "How-?"

The younger boy frowned, unsure what to make of his expression. "…S-Seto…?"

"How are you _wet?_ Have you always done this?" Seto glanced up at the blond and raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen a male dragon do this before."

"…I-I don't think I've ever done it before, either," Joey whispered, blushing.

"…I… don't think I should have sex with you," the brunet stated after a moment. "If neither of us knows what's happening, we should probably find out before we go any further." He watched the younger boy's cheeks turn red in humiliation and frowned in concern. "I'll still use my mouth, if you want—"

"No-!" Joey sat up and slid off the bed quickly. "You don't need to do that."

Seto wondered whether it was because the mood had been ruined and the blond was disappointed, or if he was too embarrassed and anxious to continue. He watched the younger boy slip into the bathroom again and sighed quietly, deciding to go talk to the healer again in the morning.

Joey walked over to the mirror and stared at himself for a moment, then turned, lifting his tail out of the way and peering down at his entrance, no matter how much he didn't want to. He bit his bottom lip and whimpered as he saw that he _was_ a little wet down there. He knew he'd never done that before.

The blond turned and filled the bathtub with water again, then slipped inside and began scrubbing himself down with soap—probably doing a better job than he had before. "Ra, I'm such a freak," he whispered, then moaned and covered his face. If he was being told by a much more experienced dragon that he'd never seen it before, then he really _must_ have something wrong with him. "How am I s'posed t' find a mate like this? Let alone have sex-!"

If Seto was repulsed despite having had sex with (an admittedly assumed) large number of people, he really had no hope. He wasn't confident enough in his new life as a noble before, but now, knowing that he would be a freak no matter how much confidence he gained, he felt like there was no hope.

No more bed slaves, no more courting. He'd never had a reason to be ashamed of his body, but suddenly, he didn't want anyone else to see it. He didn't care if he had to die alone and miserable—anything would be better than having the same humiliating scenario repeated!

Joey glanced at the door and whimpered, then covered his face again and began to cry.


	29. Paint II

Author's Note: Because you all loved the first one so much. **:**)

* * *

Paint II

Seto sighed and sat up, running a hand through his hair—longer than he was actually comfortable with, but these people didn't cut their hair, so he wasn't expected to, and he had no way to ask. He'd picked up some words, of course; he couldn't speak full sentences, but he could get the general point across. Not that anyone listened to him except Joey.

Joey.

The brunet smiled as he turned to the boy spread out across the animal skins that served as their bed. He was so beautiful, his long hair decorated with feathers and beads as the sun glittered down on it. The golden skin covered by paint wasn't glistening like it usually did, but the paint that usually marked him a healer was flaking off and dulling the glow. He'd have to help him repaint his body when he woke up, though when that would be, he had no idea.

He chuckled quietly as recalled the night before. He'd always imagined being a bachelor for the rest of his life, so paranoid that he couldn't trust any of the women he dated. Now he was married. Or at least, married in the most basic sense of the word. They'd promised that they were each others' 'tynmehk,' which was basically just as good as marriage. It had taken him a while to understand, but he'd learned that 'tynmehk' meant 'darling' and that 'darling' meant 'spouse.'

The shaman had come into their teepee, bashfully scuffing his foot over the floor as he offered him a plank with shredded wild boar meat on it. He'd washed off all of the deep purple paint and replaced it with red, his usual loincloth exchanged for one bleached white and decorated with dozens of beads. He'd also donned a red headband studded with more beads and a necklace made from animal teeth and turquoise beads, something he recognized was very valuable among these people and used only in ceremonies. When Seto had taken the proffered food, they'd shared it, taking turns feeding each other until he'd leaned down to give the healer a kiss.

The kiss was soon followed by gentle touches and more kisses—kisses all over each others' bodies, deep kisses on the mouth, even little butterfly kisses. Then, Joey had settled on Seto's lap, kissed him gently on the mouth, and slipped the necklace over his head, placing it reverently around Seto's neck.

Voilá! Married.

And, for some reason, Seto didn't mind.

Seto stroked the blond's side gently, leaning down to brush a kiss over his cheek, then slid out from under the bear skin that was their blanket. He realized that wearing a loincloth would have been much easier than his pants (shorts, now; it had been quite some time since they'd been pants), but he wasn't ready to give up _that_ much of his own world. He wasn't quite sure what a tynmehk was supposed to do the day after marriage, and he didn't know what he was capable of doing since his body ached like no other; his lover had been _quite_ frisky the night before.

Hearing Joey mew and hum as he stretched (his usual post-sleep ritual), he turned and smiled at him. "Golhiph."

Joey blinked up at him slowly to break out of the sleepy glaze he was still coming out of. Then, his lips spread into a sweet smile. "Golhiph, Seto." He bit his bottom lip and giggled quietly. "Tynmehk Seto."

Seto chuckled and knelt beside him. "Tynmehk Joey." He wrapped his arms around the blond and nuzzled his cheek. "Tynmehk Joooeeeeyyyy!"

"Nyu!" The shaman squealed and giggled again, then turned his head and caught the brunet's earlobe between his teeth gently. "Grrr!"

"Hey!" The brunet snarled playfully and shoved him onto his back, then began kissing his neck. "Mmn. Joey…"

Joey moaned and arched up against him. "Haaa, sdak jimgn…"

Seto nuzzled his throat gently, then leaned back and smiled gently. "Nde desfl." He flicked the blond's nose playfully, then traced one of the stripes of paint with a finger. "Looks awful this way."

"Ah-? Ahf… wool?" The shaman blinked up at him innocently.

"…Close enough." He reached over to grab a basket covered with an animal skin so he could go get some water to mix with the berries so they could make the paint the blond wore. "Sjuldafn."

The blond mewed and wrapped his arms around his leg quickly. "Fygkahj! Nde jimgn!"

Seto chuckled and patted his head. "Nde desfl." He stroked the shaman's hair, smiling a little. "Sujt hegf."

"Sdak jimgn!" Joey whined playfully, nuzzling his thigh.

Both men jumped as the air seemed to explode outside.

Seto turned sharply, immediately taking a step in front of the blond as he instinctively covered himself with the blanket. He was initially worried about another tribe attacking them, but he recognized the noise as something else. It took a few moments for him recall it, but eventually, he remembered where he'd heard the noise before.

It was a gunshot. None of the peoples here had guns. The best they had were swords or rudimentary bows and arrows. The only people that had guns would be… people from civilization. People he could relate to. People with clothes, with weapons, with technology.

"Big Brother! Are you here? STAY BACK!" That was Mokuba's voice!

Joey reached out to grab the brunet's pants quickly. "Seto! Sojg fajkign!" He yelped as the older boy wrenched away from him and frowned in confusion. "Seto-?"

He gasped as he heard yelling outside and ran to the door flap of the teepee, in case someone had decided that the brunet needed to be taught his place, but frowned and ducked back when he saw his lover hugging someone else, smiling and laughing.

Smiling and laughing like he'd never done around him.

Joey continued to peek out at the strange group, all of them wearing strange clothes like Seto had used to wear and holding strange things that he could only assume were weapons. He felt a twinge of jealousy when his darling continued to hug and smile at the younger boy that had arrived among all the adults, but he understood. If… if that had been his darling before Joey had saved him, and Seto had only taken him as his darling because he thought he'd never see his first darling again… it made sense.

He gasped as one of the men looked toward the teepee and ducked backward, hiding himself from view quickly. If Seto wanted to go join his original darling, he wasn't going to make any trouble about it. He could just go, and… he'd try to find someone else to be his darling.

The blond frowned as he felt something rolling down his cheek and lifted his hand to touch it. Pulling his hand back, he whimpered as he saw the tears on his fingers, then scrubbed at his eyes. He shouldn't be crying. It may have been the morning after their formal ceremony, but that was no reason to fall to pieces.

He shuffled over to the bed to find the loincloth he usually wore. He needed to go collect some herbs he was running low on, anyway…

Joey gasped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned sharply, clutching his loincloth to his chest. When he found Seto frowning at him, he turned his gaze on the floor, unable to hide his sad expression. "…Rahjk sfidk mayir?"

Seto tilted his head, raising an eyebrow, then cupped the blond's cheeks and gave him a soft kiss. "Mayir shogsd."

"Nn… T-tynmehk?" The healer mewed in confusion. "Sfidk tynmehk?"

"…Sfidk…?" The brunet frowned, brows furrowing together as he went over the conversation. Joey had asked if he was leaving with the boy, and he'd confirmed it. Now he was asking if he was leaving with the boy… boy darling? What boy darling? Joey was his only darling, and—

…His darling was so cute when he misunderstood what he saw and became jealous.

Cupping the blond's cheeks, he kissed him gently, then leaned back and smiled to him. "Tynmehk Joey. Hir sfidk tynmehk. Joey."

Joey whimpered in confusion. "Hir sfidk tynmehk…?"

"No, the little boy is not my darling." Seto rolled his eyes, then turned to leave. "I'm leaving now, Joey. Mayir shogsd."

"Skiga!" The blond hurried to pull his loincloth on and ran to the door flap again, hesitating only a moment when he heard a chopping sound, like a knife into a piece of wood over and over again, but louder.

Stopping in the doorway, he gasped as he saw some giant thing in the sky, letting down something to the ground. He watched the people that had come for his lover climb the odd-looking rope one by one, then turned his gaze on the brunet, who had stopped just outside. He shivered when he saw the intense look Seto gave him, tears forming in his eyes again when he began to lift off the turquoise necklace.

Seto was leaving.

Joey hugged him tightly and rested his fingers on the necklace, wordlessly telling him to keep it. "Tynmehk Seto."

The brunet kissed his forehead lightly and nodded. "Tynmehk Joey."

Pressing a kiss to his lips, the younger boy whimpered as he pulled away from him and began toward the flying creature again. "…Tynmehk Seto…"

Seto paused at the rope, where his brother was waiting for him, then turned to look back at him. After a moment, he turned fully toward him and held his hand out to him. Joey stared at him in confusion, then looked down at his hand. It was open to him, as if offering something. Something that he had to make the decision to accept.

If he left, his people would be without a healer. But then, they could always abduct a healer from another tribe; he was easily replaced. Seto… Seto had treated him like a human, like a _lover,_ not just someone with the ability to heal him. Seto had treated him better than any of his people ever had. And Seto was an honorable person; he was certain that if he left with him, Seto would take care of him, just like Joey had done for him.

Looking around at his people, Joey could only see hatred. Seto had never shown hatred—only fear, resignation, and, eventually, contentment. This hatred… he didn't like it. Didn't want to be a part of it.

Taking a few steps forward, he hesitantly lifted his hand to hover over the brunet's. He looked up at him anxiously, fingertips lightly skimming over his palm, before he finally placed his hand on top of it and curled his fingers around it. "Tynmehk Seto."

Seto smiled and gripped his hand as well, pulling him closer. "Tynmehk Joey."

There was an angry screech, and then Joey's people surged forward, shouting and waving their short swords and spears. The blond yelped and hugged the brunet as the air began to explode around them, squeezing his eyes shut as thunder clapped on all sides. The screaming and shouting grew louder as he felt his lover wrap an arm around his waist tightly and he felt his chest rumble as he began shouting something in his own language as well.

Then suddenly the earth was gone from beneath his feet and he felt himself being propelled upward. He clung to Seto tighter and whimpered, hooking his legs around his waist as he felt the brunet's arm loosen around him. "Seto!"

Seto grunted quietly and released him completely in favor of climbing up the ladder. He had no doubt that the blond wouldn't let go. He was actually finding it hard to breathe under his death grip. He turned to catch one last glance of the place that had been his home for the last few months.

There were a few bodies limp on the ground, probably the ones that had gotten close to them. He momentarily thought it a shame that they had to die, but when he remembered that no one really paid attention to Joey unless they needed a healer, he decided he didn't care. Joey was his now. He didn't need to think about them anymore.

He just needed to think about getting Joey to let go of him so he could breathe. Oh, and explain to Mokuba why he'd brought along one of the natives that had kept him captive.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey whimpered and scrambled further into the bush that was protecting him, mindless of the scratches he received as he burrowed deeper. "Ksojd!" He heard a growl of annoyance and whimpered again.

This world was too different—too big and too loud! He wanted to go home! He wanted to get away! That giant hollow bird needed to rest and then take him back to his village! Yes, he'd probably be beaten for leaving in the first place, but at least he was familiar with those people and prepared for whatever happened to him!

Seto growled again, running a hand through his hair, then circled around to the other side of the bush. Seeing golden hair through some of the branches, he slid his hands into it slowly, being careful not to disturb any leaves. Once certain that he was in a good position, he braced himself, then clamped onto the blond's shoulders and yanked him swiftly out of the bush, cursing as he saw all of the welts and scratches on the shaman's body from the twigs. "Damn it, Joey!"

Joey flinched, too frightened to even struggle anymore. Letting out a quiet, frightened bleat, he buried his face in the brunet's chest. "Seto!"

"…And you're… married to him," Mokuba stated in disbelief. "Is that what I'm being led to believe?"

"Shut up. I didn't think about how he'd react to everything once I got him back here." Seto frowned and held the blond tightly, gently stroking his naked back. "…I'm going to take him and help him clean up."

The younger boy sighed, unable to help a little smile as the wild man cuddled closer to his brother. "Alright. Don't forget that we've got to arrange interviews with the media, though. Some people think you're still missing."

The brunet sighed loudly but nodded nonetheless, pulling Joey closer. "Hypt, Joey." He smiled when the healer immediately hopped up to wrap his legs around his waist and kissed his shoulder gently. "Tynmehk Joey."

Feeling a little bit less tense at the gentle reminder that Seto would take care of him, Joey nuzzled into his neck and whimpered, "Tynmehk Seto!"

"…You're going to have to tell me what that means sometime, Seto."

The brunet narrowed his eyes at his little brother. "Mokuba, go pester the chef for some cinnamon sticks. I want to show you something. Have them ready by the time we get out of the shower." Then, once seeing that his brother was baffled by what he'd said, he turned and strode into the mansion, continuing to whisper to the blond in his arms comfortingly until they reached his bathroom.

Once there, he gently set the blond on the counter. "Joey? Joey, look at me. …Muomo."

Joey whimpered, then slowly squinted up at him. "Seto…?"

Seto gently traced the scar on his face, reminding him of his first days among them and how Joey had taken care of him. He traced the same line on the blond's face to hopefully convey that he would do the same; he would protect him and take care of him. "Tynmehk Joey."

The shaman blushed and buried his face in the brunet's neck. "Seto…!"

Making his way into his bathroom, Seto paused to compare the experience he knew was coming to the ones he'd had in the recent past. While he really enjoyed soap and indoor plumbing, he had to admit that making love to Joey in the river on warm, lazy evenings while the rest of the village partook in feasts could never be replaced.

He set Joey down gently, stroking his cheek and whispering a quick reassurance before he walked over to the glass encasing the shower. Hearing a confused mew behind him, he turned, then smiled a little when he saw the timid, baffled expression on his lover's face. "Trust me. It's fine." When the blond tilted his head, he chuckled. "Ghigas."

Joey frowned and tilted his head the other way as he watched the brunet step into the strange rock formation. He watched him twist a knobby rock, then let out a screech of terror as water began pouring from the ceiling and pointed at him. "Irofujk nEdkslofi!"

Seto turned to stare at him and raised an eyebrow, mentally trying to translate the words. _'Irofujk… Demon? I think it's demon. NEdkslofi… Oh God. He thinks it's demon water!'_ He couldn't help a chuckle and stepped back, motioning at the water slowly. "No, Joey. It's… Hmm." He tried to think of way to explain it. "…Lydeo. Lydeo nEdkslofi."

The blond frowned unsurely. He didn't believe that it was river water. You couldn't turn a river on and off! Stepping up beside his lover cautiously, he gave the falling water a skeptical look. "…Lydeo nEdkslofi?"

The older boy nodded and held his hand out under the water. After a pause, he smirked and flipped the water in his hand onto the blond's face. "Lydeo nEdkslofi."

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH IROFUJK NEDKSLOFI!" Joey tumbled backward, terrified. He lifted his hands to wipe his face off frantically even as he listened to his lover laugh at him. Then he realized…

…The water had been _warm._

Confused, he stepped back toward the strange thing, both cautious and curious. He glanced at the brunet again skeptically. "…Lydeo?" When he received a nod, he hesitantly reached into the stream of water. He shivered and wondered what magic it was that made the water the warm temperature it was, then timidly looked back up at the brunet when he didn't sense any malice around them. "…Lydeo."

Seto nodded again, both amused and endeared by the shaman's actions. "I want you to get clean. Hmm… Hrogslja. Clean."

Joey blinked up at him. "C-cleeeeeeennnnnn?"

"Yes." The brunet chuckled again. "Clean." He pulled at the loincloth and smiled a little, nodding his head at the water. "Hrogslja. Lydeo."

"Oh…" The younger boy blushed and looked down at his loincloth, then loosened the knot and let it fall around his feet. He looked back up at the brunet and couldn't help a bashful smile as he pointed at the magically warm water. "Tynmehk Seto hrogslja…?"

Seto paused before nodding slowly and shedding his ragged pants. "Okay."

The blond blushed again as he looked the older boy over, mumbling a quiet 'dishet,' then stepped under the running water, yipping as he was pulled up against his lover's body. "Ah, Seto!"

The brunet kissed his jaw softly, then turned him around so they were facing each other. "Let me…"

Joey shivered as the older boy's hand slid over his sides, looking up at him in confusion. "Seto…" He mewed as the brunet grabbed some slippery thing and began rubbing it on his body. It smelled like… vanilla. He liked vanilla.

"Joey, no!" Seto grabbed for his hand when he realized what the blond was going to do, but he was too late.

The blond sputtered in disgust and immediately began spitting to get the awful taste out of his mouth. "Ugha! Pbth! Blehck! Nnnnngggg!"

Seto's brows furrowed together in annoyance as he lifted a hand to wipe the saliva off his face. He'd have to hide all of the citrus-scented cleaners and air fresheners so Joey wouldn't try and taste them. Not to mention any scented candles or flowers that might look like any they'd eaten back at the village. He'd probably have to cover any electrical outlets, too, now that he thought about it, and anything sharp in the kitchen, like blenders and food processors…

Fuck. It would be easier to tie Joey up and keep him in a closet.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The blond looked cuter, Mokuba decided, when he was wearing one of his older brother's button-up shirts and a pair of boxers. He looked so small in them, so out of place, that he just… wanted to hug him and give him a cookie. He assumed that the wild man had buttoned the shirt himself, too, since one of the buttons had been skipped at the top, leaving one side of the shirt hanging lower than the others.

…Why did Seto look so grumpy? And why was he talking to the cooks about hiding all of the cleaning supplies?

Mokuba turned his attention back on the blond and frowned when he saw him reaching out to him. "What?"

Joey blushed a little and pulled his hand back quickly in embarrassment, mumbling a quiet, "Ndeo ohujk…"

The younger boy could only stare. "What."

"He likes your hair." Seto frowned and lifted a hand to his own longer-than-normal hair. "Everyone in the tribe wore it long, male or female. Since only girls have long hair here—normally—your hair makes him feel more at ease." He paused, then smirked. "He said it's pretty. Expect him to ask to braid feathers or beads into your hair."

Mokuba scowled at him, then looked down at the cinnamon sticks he'd been asked to get. "So what was _this_ all about, anyway? Is he gonna show me some special grinding power that he learned in his village, or—"

Recognizing both the scent and the appearance of the spice sticks, Joey squealed and scooped one of them up, biting into it with a crunch. He munched on it happily and looked up at Seto, unable to help shyly turning his gaze on his feet when the brunet smiled at him.

"…He just _ate_ that, Seto."

Seto smirked. "Yes, I know. It's what they ate for a treat in the village."

Mokuba felt queasy just watching the blond grab another stick and begin gobbling it up. "…That is so gross, I don't even—"

"Look at the bright side," the brunet deadpanned. "At least you're not eating maggots."


	30. Toothless II

Author's Notes: The only reason Seto is referred to as the younger man is, of course, because tooth fairy!Joey is two hundred and sixty-three years old, compared to Seto's twenty.

Also. All noises become higher pitched when being tickled. **:|**

Updated (07-09-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Toothless II

Seto raised an eyebrow as he found a blonde woman waiting on his bed for him in some lacy lingerie, then frowned when he caught a glimpse of her wings. "Ah. Another one of you fairies. …In my bed?"

"Yes, well, can we help it if humans are so attractive?" She batted her eyelashes at him sweetly. "Joey says you're quite good."

"Joey doesn't have anything to compare it to. But yes, I am _quite_ good," he replied, unbuttoning his shirt. "I assume you're here to see whether he was telling the truth or not."

"Well, I was hoping you'd prove to be as good as he said." She managed a leer and a pout at the same time.

Seto was far from impressed, but only because he'd long gotten over finding that attractive; so many women had tried to seduce him that sometimes he wondered whether he should just stick to men. Then again, he didn't really care, as long as he got a good lay every once in a while. And he had a hard time believing that this woman was a virgin, which he preferred. There was just something about defiling someone's innocence that really appealed to him.

Why yes, he did know he was a sadistic bastard.

"Alright." The brunet paused, fighting the urge to growl when he remembered that Joey had said that fairies only had sex when they were allowed to, and only for procreation. He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a condom?"

She blinked in confusion. "A… a condom?"

Seto smiled coldly. "It's alright if you don't. I can go grab one real quick."

"You don't have to worry about that!" she laughed, trying to wave his worries away.

"I have no interest in fathering a child," the brunet stated sharply, making her flinch. "Especially if I won't even get to be a part of that child's life. Please leave."

"B-but—"

"I can have security throw you out, too, though I think that would be embarrassing for you." Seto narrowed his eyes. "However, if Joey's able to carry a child, I might not mind it with him." He smirked darkly. "After all… he didn't fight much last time."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey shivered and looked up at each old, wrinkly face for a moment each before turning his gaze respectfully on his feet. "Y-ya summoned me?"

"This Seto Kaiba that you broke the law with—" Joey flinched; the Elder's voice made it sound so much worse. "—Has turned Mai down. However, he has indicated that he would not mind having a child with you."

The blond blinked, then frowned, looking up at the Elder Council in confusion. "M-me? He wants a child with _me?_" When the men nodded, he blushed and ducked his head again miserably. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry, Joseph?"

"I-I'm sorry that he wants children with me instead of Mai. A-and I'm sorry that I can't have children," he answered quietly. He cringed as he listened to the council whisper to each other.

He wouldn't deny that he was happy, though. Seto had specifically requested him as a partner instead of Mai. He knew he probably wasn't that special—that the human had just liked him last time and wanted to finish what he'd started—but it made him feel a little better.

He lifted his head a little as the lead Elder began to speak again. "Hmm?"

"Joseph, it has come to our attention that you did not struggle as much during the attack as we were led to believe; this makes your breaking of celibacy laws a first degree offense." Joey felt his stomach sink to his feet. "Do you realize the punishment for such an offense?"

The blond whimpered quietly. "…I-it… I'm bein' banished?" he squeaked, looking up in confusion. "I didn't _want_ him t' do those things t' me!"

The older fairy leaned forward. "But you didn't fight him once he'd started, did you? You just let him have his way with you!"

"Well I—I—" Joey whined in the back of his throat helplessly; he didn't know what to say or do. "…H-he just—"

"And because you did not struggle, it makes your crime a first degree offense! First degree offenses pertaining to celibacy laws are punishable by banishment!" The old man narrowed his eyes. "You've been floating through thin air for quite some time with all of your fights, Joseph, but we cannot overlook this."

"But… but…" The blond whimpered and turned a desperate gaze on some of the kinder Elders. When he saw no sympathy, he bowed his head and nodded. "Yes, Elders. I'll go gather my things."

"You will be met by an escort at your house and accompanied past the edge of the magical realm."

Joey turned and began toward his home. He didn't know how to tell his sister about this, but more importantly, he wouldn't have anywhere to stay. Eventually, without constant exposure to magic, his wings would die and fall off. He'd lose who he was—who he'd always been. He'd be just another human in a world full of billions of other humans.

…Oh, what was he going to do!

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto scowled as his phone rang and scooped it up to his ear, only barely pausing in his typing. "What?"

"_**Mister Kaiba, there's a boy here at the gate claiming that you'll see him, and he won't leave until we contact you. He says his name is Joey, and he's wearing a ridiculous set of wings."**_

The brunet frowned and sat up straight. "…A ridiculous set of wings, you said?"

"_**Yes, sir."**_

"…Send him up."

"_**Sir?"**_

"I'll meet him at the door." Seto hung up his phone and took a moment to stare at his screen. Yes, he had expected Joey to be curious and to come back eventually, but to come so soon after he'd turned down that other fairy…

He had a terrible feeling about this.

Making his way to the front door, he frowned as he heard a timid knock, then opened the door. "Joey?"

"…I'm… I'm not allowed t' go home," Joey whispered, staring at his feet as he tried desperately not to cry.

Seto blinked at him for a moment. "…What do you want me to do about it?"

At that, the blond immediately lifted his head to glare through his tears. "I want ya t' take responsibility for what ya did t' me! This is your fault for molestin' me!"

"What?" The CEO scowled at him. "I'm sorry. Molesting implies that you didn't want it. If you really didn't want it, you would have fought harder, because we both know you could have." When the blond flinched, he couldn't help an annoyed growl. "Don't try that whole 'take responsibility' thing on me again. You're not the first person who has tried to pull that on me and you definitely won't be the last."

Joey bit his bottom lip. "So… so ya just did that t' me because I was there and I didn't fight hard enough?" He took a step back, clutching the strap of his duffle bag tightly. "…I'm sorry. I thought I might've been special. I see that I was wrong." He bowed quickly, then turned and began to hurry down the steps.

"Wait. Why can't you go home?" Seto frowned. "Wait a minute!" He growled in annoyance as the blond continued to run and reached out to grab his wing before he could get away; it had worked well enough to drag him out of his brother's room without argument, so this time should be no different—

He gasped quietly as the blond's wing crumbled in his fingers, drawing his hand back to look at the broken pieces in his palm. "…What…?"

Joey turned to stare into his hand in horror, then sobbed and grabbed his hair, shaking his head in denial. "No! It's already happening!" He fell to his knees and covered his face, wings quivering with every heave of his shoulders.

Seto could only watch, dumbfounded, as the trembling wings began to deteriorate, little flakes and pieces fluttering to the ground. After a moment, he knelt beside the blond, feeling between the slits in the fabric of his shirt. The remainder of his wings, still stuck out of his back, crumbled beneath his fingers, leaving nothing but smooth skin in its wake.

"…Why is this happening?" he asked quietly. He reached out to grab some of the broken wing and looked at it closely, then turned his gaze on the trembling blond. "Joey?"

Joey sobbed and shook his head. "The Elders said that someone told them I didn't struggle as hard as I could when ya attacked me so my charges were changed t' a first degree offense which is punishable by banishment so I'm never allowed t' go t' the magical realm again so my wings don't get the magic they need so they just crumble away and now I have nowhere t' stay and nothin' t' eat and you're the only one I know and ya won't _help me!_" he wailed, then covered his face again and began to cry harder.

"Hey… hey, Joey, stop crying…" Seto frowned and pulled him into his arms so he could cry into his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I thought that maybe your family had thrown you out, not the entire— Here, let's go inside…" He stood up slowly, unable to help a quiet sigh when the blond wrapped his legs around him when he'd meant for him to walk. "I suppose it's my fault, at least partly, anyway," he admitted, but he knew deep down that it was his fault entirely.

Perhaps he shouldn't have thrown Joey's lack of resistance in the woman's face; it was most likely that she'd been the one that had told his council of elders that he hadn't fought. He'd forgotten that little saying of 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' He sincerely regretted saying anything to her now.

Placing the blond on the couch, he brushed his hands away to cup his cheeks. "Hey, look me."

Joey sniffled and looked up at him through his tears. "W-wha-?"

"You should have told me _before_ that you couldn't be a fairy anymore. Too many people have used that 'take responsibility' line on me for me to just let you in." Seto frowned and knelt in front of him again. "You can stay here with me. I'll take care of you, okay?" He brushed the tears on his cheeks away and sighed as the former fairy whimpered. "Hey, now, stop crying. I said I'll take care of you."

The blond bit his bottom lip and looked up at him anxiously. "Y-you're serious? Ya won't kick me out?"

"No. Of course, I'll have to find some sort of job for you so Mokuba won't get too curious. Can you cook?" The CEO stood, grabbing the blond's hands to help him to his feet.

"…I can make a mean flower petal purée," Joey answered after a moment.

"No cooking then. How about… cleaning-? No, the maids would kill you." Seto frowned, scratching his head, then turned back to him. "How are you at math? Mokuba needs help with his homework sometimes."

The blond frowned. "I haven't done homework in over two hundred years."

"…You're making this terribly difficult, Joey."

Joey looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry…" He nibbled his bottom lip anxiously, then peered up at him from under his lashes. "…I… I was thinkin', though…" He blushed. "…Y-you made me curious, and… and since I don't hafta worry about the Elders anymore, I was… I was wonderin' if maybe you'd… show me more? Of what ya showed me before?"

Seto stared at him for a few moments, baffled, until the hesitant suggestion registered in his mind; then, he stared some more, this time in shock. "…Are… are you suggesting that I have sex with you? As payment for keeping you here?"

"I-it could be just a perk!" the blond exclaimed, brows furrowing together as he took a step back in embarrassment. "Y-ya don't hafta!"

The brunet smiled and grabbed his hands before he could get away. "…I think I prefer your idea to any of mine." He lifted a hand to cup the fairy's cheek. "How much do you want me to show you?"

"…Everything," Joey whispered, peering up at him bashfully.

Seto did his best to keep from jumping him then and there; he was so cute he just wanted to maul him. So, instead, he leaned in to gently kiss his cheek. "Alright. I'll show you _everything._"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey squirmed as he was laid on the brunet's bed, both anxious and excited; while he was a little scared of what was about to happen, he was also happy. He no longer had to live by the rules of the fairies in the Magical Realm. That meant he could do anything he wanted—anything! That included sex! Sex with someone that the Elders had wanted Mai to breed with but had said no and sent Mai away!

…He was allowed to be happy about that, right?

Joey squeaked as the brunet began pushing his shirt up and bit his bottom lip. "S-Seto-?"

"Calm down, calm down," Seto murmured, brushing his fingers over the blond's stomach. He slid up to begin kissing his neck.

"Nyeek!" The fairy squirmed, trying to hide his neck, and giggled in embarrassment. "That tickles!"

"Tickles?" The brunet chuckled and continued to kiss his neck. "That's cute."

"Stop kissin' me there-!" Joey gasped quietly as the younger man slid a hand down between his legs, gently rubbing his crotch. "Nn! Wha-!"

Seto turned his head to kiss him lightly. "Doesn't take much to get you hard, does it? But that's okay; I like how sensitive you are." He slid his lips to the blond's neck again, smiling when he got the same giggly reaction. "Should I kiss you somewhere else?"

"Nn… Where else-?" Joey lifted his arms as the brunet began to push his shirt up again, allowing him to pull it off, then gasped as he caught his nipples between his fingers, arching his back and mewing cutely. "Oh! W-what are you—"

"I think I'll kiss you here," he younger man whispered, then released one of his nipples to instead catch it between his lips. He tugged at the hardening nub gently with his teeth, then swirled his tongue around it before releasing it with a quiet 'pop'. "Should I kiss the other one, so it doesn't feel left out?"

"Hnn!" The blond squirmed in embarrassment. "Seto-!"

The brunet chuckled. "I think I should." He attacked the other one gently, unable to help feeling pleased as the fairy gasped and dug his fingers into his hair. Once he'd given the blond's nipple the same amount of attention, he let his lips trail down his chest to his stomach. "Need your… pants off…"

Joey lifted his hips, blushing as his jeans were pulled down his hips and thighs. "Ya said you'd help me learn more-?"

"Of course. But, for now, let's just do what I did last time." Seto sat up and moaned quietly as he saw the lacy panties the blond was wearing. "Oh God. Even though you're wearing pants, you're still wearing panties?"

"…That's… the only thing fairies wear under their clothes." The fairy blinked up at him in confusion. "Do humans have other things to wear under their clothes?"

The brunet stared at him for a moment before moaning again and nuzzling the blond's erection through his lacy panties. "God, no."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…Wow," the fairy sighed, smiling. "That was better than last time."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Seto sat up and pet the older boy's hip gently before pulling his panties back up and nuzzling his stomach.

"Ngh! Tickles!" Joey giggled and squirmed a little. "Nyu!" He blushed as the brunet smiled up at him and hurriedly turned his gaze away. "…Seto?"

The younger man rolled onto his side and tugged the blond up against him. "Hmm?"

"…Do ya want me t' do that t' you?" The fairy lifted his hand to his mouth, blushing as he looked down at the tented fabric of his pants. "It doesn't seem fair that you've done it for me twice and I haven't done it for you at all."

Seto ran his fingers through the blond's hair and smiled a little. "I'll teach you how to do that another time; I'm not worried about it. You don't know enough to keep me from accidentally hurting you. I don't want to choke you or anything."

"Oh. …But you'll teach me?"

The brunet chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "Is it because you're curious or because you want to return the favor?"

"…A little bit of both," Joey admitted quietly. "That felt really good. I wanna make _you_ feel really good too." He nuzzled the younger man's chest and smiled. "I wanna do that soon, so you'll hafta teach me that first, okay?"

"My God, I've turned you into a nymphomaniac." Seto chuckled again. "And all I've done is give you a couple of blowjobs."

The blond looked up at him and blinked innocently. "Is that what they're called?"

"Yes. Fellatio, too, and oral sex." He leaned down to begin kissing his neck again.

Joey squealed and flinched with an embarrassed giggle. "That tickles! _Eek!_" He squirmed as the human began nibbling instead of kissing and began to laugh even more. "No! No! That tickles! Seto! _Eeeee!_"


	31. Slave II

Author's Note: I did not mean to make it seem like Seto was disgusted with Joey. He is not. That's just Joey's perception of it.

* * *

Slave II

Seto frowned as he heard someone shuffling around, then yawned, lifting a hand to rub his eyes. He must have fallen asleep while he'd been waiting for Joey to come back out of the bathroom. Peering into the dark around him, he wondered why the blond didn't just turn on a light; it was his room, after all.

He frowned again when he saw the long, bulky robes the black dragon was putting on. He'd liked the shorter, thinner robes he'd been wearing yesterday better—they showed off his masculine muscle tone and his feminine curves. These robes just looked like… Well, they weren't as flattering, and to be honest, Seto preferred pretty things and people.

His frown turned confused when he smelled the thick scent of soap on the other boy. Had he even come out of the bathroom last night, or-? Turning, he discreetly felt the blankets beside him. When he found they were cold, he turned his gaze back to the blond. If he'd wanted the bed to himself, he could have just told him to get the hell out of his bed. He would have moved.

Seto watched the blond slip out of the room before climbing out of bed. He took a moment to wash his face and fix his hair before slipping out of the room and following the timid dragon's scent, noticing with a hint of pity that it smelled much different from the other noble dragons' scents. It wasn't that he wanted Joey to smell like them, but he might feel a little less self-conscious and nervous, knowing that at least his scent fit in even if his mannerisms didn't.

He paused as he came to a large set of doors, then glanced around for a smaller set, knowing there would be a less lavish for the servants. Spotting them, he went over and pulled one open, peeking into the room he knew the blond had gone into.

It was a dining room. Joey was sitting at the table, head ducked as his aunt and uncle berated him for his messy hair and his rumpled clothes. The brunet sighed in annoyance; if his family had treated _him_ like that, he'd have—

"—Noticed how he's wearing those robes? He's obviously had his man-cherry popped."

Seto felt himself blush despite having taken many people's virginities. He realized that as a slave now, he should get used to a servant's uncouth way of speech, but knowing he'd be 'escaping' eventually had wiped the thought from his mind.

"Well, duh. He's limping like he's had cock all night, and his eyes are red like he hasn't slept. Of course, he probably cried a little, too, but I can't imagine him crying much if what I heard about his bed slave is true!"

Seto shivered in disgust as the two servants giggled lewdly. He had to wonder what they were talking about, though. He knew he hadn't touched Joey at all, so…

"I heard he was from a country up north, too, and you know what they say about northern dragons!"

…He was from a country to the south. Where the hell had they gotten their information?

"I wish I could be him…" She sighed wistfully. "Eating fancy food all day, getting dick all night. It's a shame he doesn't appreciate any of it…"

"Well, you know how vulnerable he is. You could convince him to take you as his mate," the other servant replied casually.

"Yes, but then I'd be stuck with him, and I'd be expected to have his babies. He's got _blond_ hair and _black_ wings. I don't want a baby that looks as freaky as him! He probably isn't even good in bed!"

"You're right—it was probably his bed slave that did all the work, and he just lied there and took it, squealing like a pig!"

Seto felt his stomach twist with nausea, skin crawling as the two servants laughed. He hoped his own servants had never talked about him like that!

"Just like all the other black dragons do, of course. With the way his aunts squeal and scream, I'm surprised we didn't hear him all the way down in the servants' quarters!"

"Maybe he was too busy sucking another one off? The rest of his family is made up of cock-hungry whores, so he should be no different. I'm surprised he's made it this long without a bed slave!"

Seto's stomach churned. He knew that noble families had secrets, and he knew that servants knew a lot of those secrets. To think that Joey had been the only one still innocent when his family was supposedly so slutty… So why were they all so embarrassed when he mentioned kinks?

"Ugh, finally… How long does it take to eat egg whites and fucking grapefruit?"

"I'll go get a towel."

"I'll grab the broom. Such messy eaters…"

Seto stood up straight quickly as the door opened, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping but resigned to his fate. When the door opened and he was faced with a red-haired, red-winged girl and a black-haired, green-winged girl, however, he blinked as the startled expressions faded into leers. Then, they rushed past him, giggling as they scurried into the kitchen.

The brunet turned to stare after them, baffled. Then, he turned to peer into the dining room.

"I expect you to study _harder,_ Joseph!"

Joey flinched under his uncle's angry words. "Yes, sir."

"You'd better be able to recite our leading ancestors correctly _and_ in order by supper time!"

"Yes, sir," the blond repeated, then turned and made his way out of the dining room as quickly as he could without scampering.

"And put on some different clothes!" he roared after him.

Seto hurried to the other entrance to the dining room to intercept him, grabbing his arm as he tried to pass. "Joey!"

Joey gasped and turned to look up at him, startled, then frowned and immediately turned his gaze away, trying to ignore the blush of humiliation coloring his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I was gonna—I was going to have some food sent up to my room for you. You looked really tired after…" He swallowed thickly. "…After last night."

"…What are you talking ab—" The brunet let out a surprised rumble when the younger boy lunged up to capture his lips in a kiss. Once the blond pulled away, he stared at him in confusion. "…Joey?"

He turned his gaze to the side again. "…'m still a little sore from last night. 'nd I know you must be tired." He let out a shaky breath. "I hafta—I have to go and study now. One of the servants can show you to the library, or the courtyard. I… I guess we can do it again after supper, but only if I'm not as sore."

Seto saw who the blond had been putting the show on for a few seconds later when his aunts strode out of the dining room, passing them with expressions of revulsion. "…Oh. I—"

"One of the maids said my aunt wanted to borrow you." Joey bit his bottom lip. "…I told her that it was up to you. If you don't, I… I'll tell her that you're mine and I don't feel like sharing you yet." He blushed even more. "But if you do, I guess you can find a servant to take you to her room…"

The brunet frowned in confusion. "…You'd be okay with me having sex with your aunt?"

"…W-we wouldn't want anyone thinking you're impotent, right?" The black dragon forced a smile. "Everyone is talking about how you're from a northern country. I don't really understand what that means, but I'm being led to believe that it means you like lots of sex. I wouldn't want to frustrate you just because it's not safe to have sex with me."

Seto sighed. "Joey, what I meant when I said that was—"

"I need to go practice my reading now, and then I hafta—have to—study my ancestry." Joey ignored the tears forming in his eyes, keeping his smile firmly in place. "Just have a servant lead you wherever you need to go."

The brunet huffed. "Joey, I—"

"I need to go before my uncle comes out and scolds me more, please," the blond stated quietly, pulling from his grip.

Seto rumbled in annoyance as he watched the other boy hurry away, then crossed his arms, tail twitching. It wasn't that he was worried about safe sex, necessarily; he was worried about hurting Joey accidentally because he didn't understand what his body was doing. He'd never seriously hurt any of his lovers before and he had absolutely _no_ intention of starting now, especially with someone as skittish as the blond in question.

Feeling a hand on his arm, he turned, scowling. When he saw the redhead with the matching wings, however, he schooled his expression into a mild expression. "May I help you?"

She cooed at him coyly. "Master Joseph told me that I should… keep you _company._"

The brunet barely kept from rolling his eyes; he was sure that the blond had said no such thing, especially since he'd just talked to him himself. Instead, he turned his attention back to her and flashed a charming smile. "Would you mind if I saw the healer first? I had something I wanted to ask him before I forget."

She sighed but shrugged nonetheless. "Fine. …If you want to ask for a little 'pick-me-up' while we're there, I won't tell anyone!" she added, giggling in a manner that might have been demure if she wasn't trying to get into his pants.

He made sure to accidentally trip her with his tail.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Of course he gets wet when he's aroused. He was born as a submissive partner."

Seto blinked, stunned by the quick and succinct explanation. "…Oh?"

The healer snorted in contempt. "You're such a Casanova, shouldn't you know that? I'll assume you've only had sex with women or men that have genes for dominant positions. Even if Joseph wanted to act the dominant partner, he'd still get wet. That's why Joseph can't fit into the position his uncle and aunt are trying to force onto him; while he's capable of being a leader, he's more comfortable following instead. Yes, he can be quite a force to reckon with, but what submissive partner isn't? My wife has asserted her power quite well over the past few decades."

Seto frowned and leaned back against a wall. "So he'll never fit in here, then. No matter how hard he tries."

"Why do you think his uncle and aunt are so hard on him?" The healer huffed. "He'll probably be married off to an unrelated black dragon; I've heard that his family has even sent out messengers inquiring about the marital status of all of lower ranked black dragons."

"…Why does he have to mate with a black dragon?" The brunet tilted his head. "I'm sure there are other well bred, high-ranked people that would love to be his mate."

The healer rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you're right, too, but you must remember that you're in a different country now. Here, pedigree doesn't matter as long as you look nice enough and your scales are the same color."

Seto frowned as he remembered all of the scolding the blond had gotten about his appearance and being unable to understand it. Joey was pretty even when his hair was messy and he was covered in mud—it was just a different sort of pretty than perhaps his oh-so-proper family was used to.

"His aunt and uncle haven't had sex with each other in years; they're too old for children, so they have sex with anyone they want," the healer continued in disgust. "But of course, Joseph doesn't know that. If he knew what goes on behind closed doors, he'd run away, and his family knows that."

"…That's the worst thing I've ever heard," the brunet muttered. "He should get out while he can."

"It's too late. His aunt and uncle have put so much work into him that they'd just drag him back. He'd need to go much further than he'd be comfortable going to escape them."

Seto crossed his arms. "…What if he went to another country? Would they chase him to and drag him out of another country?"

The healer frowned and turned to gaze out the window. "I suppose they wouldn't. Are you suggesting that he release you and follow you to your country? He wouldn't survive in the northern countries; he needs sunlight to maintain his higher body temperature and the northern countries don't get enough of it."

The brunet scowled. "Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm from a country to the south!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey paused at his door, frowning, then hesitantly grabbed the doorknob. He'd forgotten about Seto all day, for the most part. Now, though, staring at the door to the room he'd be sharing with his… bed slave, he realized that he really didn't want to see Seto. Or… he didn't want Seto to see _him._

Him and his _freakish_ body doing its _freakish_ things. His body that was repulsive and abnormal. He didn't even want to look at his body himself! He didn't want anyone else to see it!

…But he'd have to go in, eventually. One of the servants would see him standing outside, gossip with other servants, and his aunts and uncle would hear about it and scold him for looking so obtuse or whatever other fancy word they used for stupid.

Taking a deep breath, Joey sighed, then pushed open the door. He peeked inside and was sort of relieved that he didn't see the brunet. At the same time, though, he was sort of disappointed. Perhaps he'd gone to see his aunt after all… Or maybe he was with that servant girl, the red-haired one with the matching wings… Maybe even with one of the gardeners, since one of the servants had said he'd gone to the courtyard…

People with normal bodies. Not him.

Turning to shut the door, he laid his forehead against it, sighing quietly. He stayed there for a few moments, then bit his bottom lip and looked down at his robes. He'd heard the servants gossiping about his lost virginity because of the way he was covering himself and the way he limped. He decided to keep to himself that he was ashamed of his body and he'd actually hurt himself when he slipped on the floor and hit his ankle on one of the tub's clawed feet.

Joey hesitated before going to stand in front of the mirror. He lifted his hand to gently comb his bangs out of his eyes, then bit his bottom lip and looked down at his clothes again. After a few minutes, he began pulling his robes off, letting them fall to the floor around his feet.

…His body didn't look any different. So why did it act so wrong? Why couldn't he ever fit in?

Keeping his eyes on the mirror, he turned, lifting his tail out of the way. That was the only way he was different, wasn't it? He got wet when he… Well. He was sure that if anyone else saw it, they'd react the same way Seto had, repulsed and turned off. He shuddered and forced his tail down so fast that his scales slapped against his skin. He already felt the need to wash himself—wash himself thoroughly and then keep his freakish body covered.

He gasped as he saw twin sapphires glowing in the mirror and turned to face forward quickly, letting out a startled mewl as he was pulled up against Seto's hard, damp body, his face tilted up for a hard kiss. "Mnyu!"

Seto thrust his tongue into his mouth and growled, digging his hand into the smaller boy's hair. He curled his tail around the blond's to keep him from thrashing, pressing him up against the mirror as he plundered his hot, sweet-tasting mouth. He must have just gotten finished with dinner.

Pulling back, he examined the black dragon's face, frowning when he saw the cut on his lip, still bleeding a little. "What's this? Why didn't you get it taken care of by the healer?"

Joey looked away from him quickly. "…I-I spilled my soup on my clothes and was accordingly punished."

"What, those few drops? That couldn't have even been a spoonful—"

"How long were ya watchin' me!" The blond looked up at him and sobbed. "I thought ya were gone! How long were ya watchin' me, laughin' at me? How long-!"

"Laughing at you?" Seto frowned. "Why would I laugh at you?" He lifted a hand to cup his chin, using his thumb to gently wipe away the blood on his lip.

Joey jerked his head away. "Because I'm a freak-! Because I'm a boy and I get wet! I'm disgustin' and—and I'm repulsive!"

"Who called you a freak-? I never said you were disgusting _or_ repulsive!" the brunet snapped. "I said I didn't think we should do anything until we knew _why_ you got wet! I didn't want to accidentally hurt you!"

"Why don't ya go have sex with my aunt, or—or that servant that was hangin' off ya, or—or just anyone that isn't me!" The younger boy tried to push him away. "So ya won't hafta add a pity fuck t' your stupid reputation!"

Joey let out a startled whine as the brunet spun him around and slammed him back against the mirror. "Seto-!"

Seto snarled, baring his fangs for a moment, then grabbed the blond's chin to force him to look into the mirror. "Look at yourself! There's nothing different about you from me!"

"But I get—"

"I said _look at yourself!_"

Joey flinched and turned his teary gaze on his reflection. He looked frightened. "…What 'm I s'posed t' see?"

"You're supposed to see how beautiful you are." The brunet placed a hand on his hip. "Just because you get wet doesn't make you unattractive. You've still got a man's body. You're wet because your body thinks you should be. It's not something you can help. It's not common, but it's certainly not abnormal." He nuzzled the blond's neck and sighed. "…I think that just makes you _more_ attractive. Knowing that when you get aroused, you start to get wet… Hmm. It seems you like being bossed around. And mirrors." His other hand stroked between his cheeks. "You're already getting a little damp."

The younger boy gasped and jerked his hips forward in embarrassment. "D-don't touch me there!"

"But you like being touched here. The healer said it's natural for you, and I think that's pretty sexy." Seto smirked. "Don't you like that I think you're sexy?"

Joey blushed and bit his bottom lip, hips trembling as the brunet continued to pet between his cheeks. "…I don't know, I…"

The brunet purred quietly, rubbing the ring of muscle still guarding his virginity. "Do you know why I think you're sexy?"

"No-!" the younger boy exclaimed helplessly. "How could ya ever—"

"Because I think the idea of burying my dick in your tight, dripping wet ass is incredibly arousing—"

Joey gasped in embarrassment. "Seto!"

"—And the thought of your body clenching around me every time I thrust into you—"

"Ngh!"

"—Just makes me want to throw you onto the bed—"

Joey squealed as he was thrown onto his bed and turned to scramble back off, screeching as the brunet grabbed his hips and pressed between his legs, the scratchy towel he'd been wearing rubbing against his thighs. "_Seto!_"

"And fuck you until you don't know which way is up!"

The blond mewed helplessly. He was embarrassed, but he really wanted sex; that was the entire reason he'd bought a bed slave, he just… didn't want to be aroused and then turned down again.

Seto seemed to sense this, though, and began nuzzling his neck, cooing, "Let's see if I can get you to _feel_ sexy…"

…Joey decided he didn't mind if Seto tried to make him feel as sexy as he said he looked.

And Seto was right. Limping because he'd hurt his leg and limping because he'd had a dick up his formerly virgin ass all night were much different.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"How did you manage this, anyway? I didn't think your aunt or uncle would approve." Seto took a bite of an apple and reached out to gently brush the blond's hair out of his eyes.

Joey shrugged and snatched the apple out of his hand. "I'm not finished setting out the food yet. You're not supposed to eat until it's all on the blanket." He set the bitten apple among the other fruit. "My aunt and uncle are talking to some other high-rank people. They didn't want me getting underfoot and embarrassing them. Okay, _now_ you can eat your apple."

The brunet grumbled to himself. "So bossy. Maybe I don't want that apple anymore. It's got a bite taken out of it."

"…" The younger boy gave him a glare clearly stating how stupid he thought he was. "Right. Fine. I'll eat it then."

Seto scowled and grabbed the apple out of his hand, turning to chuck it away. It splattered against a tree. "Calling my bluff has never been smart, Joey."

"I don't think anyone has ever accused me of being smart." Joey picked up a sandwich. "Seto? You're a noble, right? So how'd ya—you—get caught as a slave?"

"My family is quite affluent. However, my uncle thought I desired my cousin's crown, so he had me kidnapped and sold into slavery to a caravan headed north. I was such a bad-tempered slave, they sold me the first chance they got—here. And then you bought me, and here I am."

The blond frowned and poured himself a cup of lemonade. "So your cousin is some sort of prince?"

"Yes. He's next to inherit the crown. Personally, he can keep it; I wouldn't want to be king anyway." Seto reached over to grab a glass and held it out to allow the blond to fill it as well. "I'd be expected to be proper, and quite frankly, that's just too much work."

Joey chuckled and reached out to grab a sandwich. "I'd never figure you to be lazy."

"Well." The brunet shrugged. "If the word fits."

"Hmm." The younger boy looked up at him and smiled a little. "It's nice to just eat together, isn't it? I miss eating with my friends."

Seto frowned and grabbed another apple. "Why do you even stay with your aunt and uncle? You don't seem happy with them."

"Oh…" Joey bit his bottom lip. "…They said that as soon as I've come of age and have proven to be a proper lord, they'll let me invite my mother and little sister to live with us. I know they're okay now—they have enough money to get by—but I'd be more comfortable if they could live at the castle. It's safer there, and I'd be able to protect them."

"…If you say so." Seto had a hard time believing that _anyone_ besides Joey's aunt and uncle would be happy or safe at the castle. Even Joey's other aunt (widowed after only two years, he'd been told) seemed miserable living there.

The blond peeked up at him from beneath his bangs. "…I'm glad… I'm glad we could eat together before you leave, too. I'm… I'm gonna—going to—miss you, and—"

"I like your accent," the older boy cut in. "It's cute."

Joey blushed. "…You're the first person that's ever said that."

"It's true. I could listen to you talk with that accent for hours." Seto smiled. "I'm sort of going to miss waking up in the middle of the night and hearing you mumble in your sleep."

The black dragon blushed even more. "I don't talk in my sleep!"

The brunet hummed and looked away. "Of course not."

"Gah! Shut up!"

Seto chuckled, then frowned a little. "…Joey, after I leave… are you going to buy another bed slave?"

"…I…" Joey turned his head away and sighed. "…Probably not. I like sex with you, but… I wouldn't want anyone t' see that I get… _that way_ and be disgusted. Even if they are a slave."

"Oh." The brunet couldn't help being pleased. "…If I invited you to visit, would you come?"

The younger boy looked up at him, surprised but hopeful. "You'd invite me t' visit you?"

Seto smiled. "Of course. What I'm asking is, would you come see me?"

"Yeah!" The blond blushed in embarrassment when the older boy chuckled. "…I-I mean, I'd wanna see ya, but… S-shut up!" He covered his cheeks with his hands and sighed, then looked up at the sky. "…Y-you should be leavin' soon. You'll wanna get t' the border before dark."

The white dragon's smile faded. "…Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Just… make sure ya hit me hard enough t' knock me out for a while, but not hard enough for a coma, okay?" Joey added, trying to sound playful, but only managing to sound sad.

Seto stared at him for a moment, then smiled a little. "Don't I at least get a kiss for the road?"

"Huh? Oh…" He wanted Seto to stay, but he knew the white dragon didn't belong there, so the blond nodded and tipped his head up. "Yes." He moaned as the brunet dug his fingers into his hair and immediately allowed his tongue into his mouth. "Mmn!"

Seto kissed him quite thoroughly, tongue wrestling with him for a while before finally leaning closer, sucking and licking softly at the blond's mouth. Then, once he was certain the blond was distracted, he slid his hands around to gently grasp his shoulders and the base of his neck. The younger boy mewed quietly. The brunet caught the younger boy's bottom lip between his teeth, suckling it the way he knew he liked, then dug his fingers into his body. _Hard._

Joey gasped, eyes widening in pain as the brunet's fingernails pierced through his skin. His body jolted. The last thing he saw before his eyes rolled back as he passed out was the brunet's intense, smug expression.

Seto licked his lips as the blond fell limp in his arms, then leaned down to kiss his cheek. Seeing how unhappy the younger boy was, how miserable his family had made him, had helped him come to the decision that, even if Joey got mad and tried to poison him with his barb, he wouldn't regret taking him away from his poisonous environment. He'd even allow the blond to invite his mother and sister to come stay with him—at Seto's castle, of course.

Luckily, Joey would be unconscious for at least six hours, and he'd wake up groggy. Seto would be able to say it had all been a dream and tell him to go back to sleep; if that didn't work, he could always work the same Python Grip that made him pass out again.

Setting the black dragon on the grass a few feet away, Seto took a moment to scatter the sandwiches, crush the fruit as if they'd been stepped on, and kick the pitcher of lemonade. After a moment of examination, he decided that it did indeed look like a fight had occurred. He turned and lifted the blond into his arms again, quite pleased with his handiwork.

He was certain that Joey would be upset, but when he showed the blond how much happier he'd be with him, away from his abusive aunt and uncle, he was sure he'd be forgiven. …Eventually.


	32. Stockholm Syndrome

Author's Note: The words in italics are alien speech. Seto can't understand it. And the only difference between the Xerxonians and Earthlings is antennae. Cute little antennae that twitch. **:3**

****Updated (07-13-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Stockholm Syndrome

Joey turned his head as he heard the door slide open, hurriedly turning to face the Earthling as he stepped into the room with him. Any hope of escape for the moment faded as the door slid closed behind him, but he really hadn't thought of escaping for quite some time. He didn't know where his space ship was, and he'd be damned if he left Yugi on this planet all alone. …Even… if he didn't know where Yugi was, or whether he'd survived the crash…

He pressed up against the wall and bit his bottom lip as the brunet sauntered over to him, antennae twitching nervously as he noticed the syringe in his hand. _"Oh, Orglip…!"_ He gasped as the brunet grabbed for his wrist and immediately lashed out, hand smacking across the Earthling's face as hard as he could. He whimpered as his skin stung and immediately pulled his hand back, looking down at it in confusion.

His skin was already bruising. He'd spent a lot of time pounding on the door and screaming in his native tongue.

Joey gasped as the brunet finally grabbed his wrist, expecting to be hurt in retribution. He looked up in confusion when the Earthling gently cleaned a spot on his elbow, seemingly ignoring the fact that he'd just slapped him, then slid the needle into his arm so quickly that he only felt a short pinch of pain. He watched the syringe fill with his deep purple blood—so dark it was almost blue—then looked up at the brunet in confusion again, wondering what he could possibly do with his blood.

The Earthling glanced up at him, eyes sharp but also inquisitive. "…Do you understand what we've been saying…? Are you scared of us, or scared of being alone…?"

He could understand, but he couldn't respond; all of his words turned into his own language as soon as they reached his tongue out of habit, no matter how much he wished it to come out in this Earthling's language. He wished he had his translator, so he could communicate. He couldn't do anything without it.

The brunet frowned as he watched his eyes fill with tears of frustration and cupped his cheek gently. "Don't cry. We're trying to be gentle with you and your friend."

Yugi was alive!

Joey grabbed the Earthling's coat as he began to walk away, babbling in his native tongue his wish to see his friend. He whimpered as the brunet brushed his hands off and continued to the door, then sat down on his cot and sniffled.

"…Hey."

He looked up and lifted a hand to pull on his antennae anxiously; it was a nervous habit he'd never quite grown out of. _"Paaa?"_

The Earthling stared at him a moment before offering him a small, barely-there smile. "You'll be okay."

Joey blushed, his cheeks turning a light violet color as he turned his head away. _"Shut up! Orglip help me…"_ He glanced out of the corner of his eye to watch the brunet leave, biting his bottom lip in embarrassment.

His antennae twitched awkwardly. …That human had been pretty handsome…

Oh, Orglip! Was this how Stockholm Syndrome started? This was a terrible development!

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I probably shouldn't be doing this, but when I told my little brother that one of our… patients… wasn't feeling comfortable here… he wanted to give you something to make you feel better." Seto smiled and held up a bag filled with small, puffy white balls. "He thought these might help."

Joey hugged his knees to his chest and eyed him warily, antennae twitching anxiously. When the brunet stepped closer to him, he gasped and flinched closer to the wall, whimpering a plea for him to stay away. He was being so nice, always talking to him and commenting on neutral topics so that he wouldn't feel so on edge-! It was making him start to like the Earthling, and the thought of becoming attached to this man was terrifying!

"Come on. They're not bad. I mean, I don't really like sweets, but Mokuba can eat bags of these." The brunet sat beside him on the cot, using his teeth to rip the bag open in the corner. Pulling the plastic apart, he held the bag open and offered it to him. "I think you'll like them. Come on."

The blond held his knees tighter, eyeing the bag warily. After a moment, though, he hesitantly reached into the bag. _'I suppose it couldn't hurt…'_ He looked at the white puffs in his palm for a moment, then took one between his fingers and squished it experimentally. He couldn't help a giggle as it slowly melded back into its original shape, antennae picking up the minute sounds as it compressed and decompressed between his fingers.

He looked up at the Earthling and tilted his head, frowning when he motioned for him to eat it. Returning his gaze to the white confection, he tilted his head the other way, then carefully pushed it into his mouth past his lips. He gasped again in surprise as it left a powdery residue on his tongue, eyes widening as it seemed to melt a little, flooding his mouth with sweetness. He chewed on the marshmallow and gasped again as it turned gummy, nearly sticking to his teeth, before it seemed to naturally glide to the back of his throat.

…Amazing!

Joey turned and shoved his other hand into the bag, already gobbling his first handful. _'They must all be mine!'_

Seto tugged the bag away from him and chuckled. "Easy. We don't know how sugar affects you. I don't want you to get sick." He rolled the bag up and reached out to pat him on the head. "I'll be right back to take a blood sample, okay? To see if this caused any changes."

The blond whimpered and grabbed for the bag, but he was already up and walking away. Frowning and stuffing the last marshmallows into his mouth, the alien chewed them slowly to savor them longer. After a moment, though, he realized he felt a little strange. He was beginning to feel a little warm, and his breath was beginning to come a little harder. Perhaps he should lie down…

Placing his head on his pillow, Joey moaned quietly in discomfort. His stomach churned uncomfortably, hips shaking a little as his body felt warmer and warmer. Perhaps the marshmallows had been laced with something-? He'd thought the Earthling was nice, and now—

He blushed in embarrassment as he felt a thrill of pleasure. Reaching down, he moaned again as his palm came into contact with the bulge in his thin cotton pants. _"Oh, Orglip, what has he done to me…!"_ He tried to think of something unpleasant, like freeze-dried meals and venomous space eels.

But he felt himself getting harder, and all he could do was whimper in mortification as his chest heaved. Sitting up, he groaned and reached into his pants, trying to relieve himself quickly. How humiliating! He'd thought this Earthling was nice, and now he was forcing him to—

"Hey-! What are you doing!"

Joey moaned as he felt fingers digging into his hair and allowed his head to be forced back, eyelids sagging as he continued to pleasure himself. He took in the brunet's startled, confused expression and blushed a little more, turning his gaze away in embarrassment when he realized that he must not have intended for anything like this to happen. He closed his eyes tightly and whimpered again.

Seto took in his expression of shame, his cheeks flushed dark purple with embarrassment, then gently cupped his cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen."

Joey let out a distressed wail and covered his face in humiliation.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey fell back against the wall and sighed in relief, biting his bottom lip. _"Wow…"_

The brunet chuckled a little, smiling as he watched the alien's antennae twitch in embarrassment. "Do aliens do this as much as humans? Because humans do this quite often."

The alien turned his head away again, nodding his head a little.

"Really? I never would have gues—Did you just nod at me?" Seto asked, frowning.

Joey looked back at him and raised his eyebrows slightly, nodding again. It was the only way he could really communicate, so he wasn't going to just sit there and stare like a moron when the brunet had asked him a direct question.

The brunet could only stare at him for a few moments, stunned. "…You understand us?"

The alien nodded again, frowning in concern as he leaned back. Suddenly, he didn't feel safe, and when he saw the expression of surprise melting into agitation, he just wanted to hide. He glanced around for something he could use to protect himself, trying to inconspicuously tuck himself back into his pants.

"You mean you've been listening to us talk and you've done _nothing_ to show you understand!" Seto snarled, grabbing his shirt and shaking him a little.

Joey whimpered and grabbed his wrists. _"Wait! Wait, you're—hurting me—Ah!"_ He shrieked as he was thrown onto the ground, groaning in pain as the brunet twisted his arms behind his back and held them in one hand. He hissed as he felt a sharp pain in the crook of his elbow, as if the skin were being torn open.

A few moments later, the pain worsened, then immediately eased. He looked up as the Earthling stormed out, breathing hard, then sat up slowly. He gripped his aching arm and groaned, frowning when he felt how slippery it was, then looked down at it in confusion. It took a moment to register that he was bleeding, but eventually, he realized that the brunet had taken his blood, and had done quite a lot of damage this time. He hadn't taken the time to disinfect it or aim.

The blond could only stare as his violet blood dribbled down his arm and dripped off his elbow, watching as the puddle beneath his arm steadily grew. He realized he should do something to stop the bleeding, but… he really didn't want to.

He felt betrayed, but he also felt as if he'd done some betraying, too, in some way. Seto had always talked to him when he came in for his blood after that first time. Normally, he talked about simple things like the weather or other inane topics, but sometimes he divulged something personal. He felt as if he'd somehow betrayed his confidence by not showing, somehow, that he understood. And that made him feel terrible.

So he watched the violet puddle on the floor continue to grow, until eventually the blood trickled to a stop. Unfortunately, when he shifted into a more comfortable position, the tender scab ripped open, starting the bleeding anew.

Frowning, Joey crawled onto his cot, curling into a ball facing the wall even as his blood dampened the sheets. He still felt a little warm, and maybe a little turned on by the rough treatment, but he figured those were the residual effects of whatever had been laced in the sugary treat he'd been given. His eyes burned with tears, also, but he set his jaw and forced himself to believe that that was because of the marshmallows too.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto scowled at the door in front of him. He didn't want to see the alien on the other side yet. He'd taken a few days away from work to cool off, but now, knowing that the alien had understood every word he'd said, he felt himself getting angry all over again. Huffing in annoyance, he snatched the clipboard up to see what he'd missed.

He found himself frowning in concern despite his irritation. The blond had been unresponsive to the other scientists, staring at them blankly and ignoring his food. He'd flinched away when the scientists tried to clean his wound, holding it to his body protectively and refusing to allow others near it.

The good news was that he'd allowed the scientists to spoon-feed him—after he was propped up and he'd felt the laden spoon against his lips. The bad news was that one of the scientists had noticed that the wound he had might be getting an infection.

Seto's frown deepened as he grabbed a tray of bland cafeteria food, then he walked to the door again. He turned to watch it shut behind him, then returned his gaze to the blond curled up on his cot. He sighed quietly, then walked over and gently set the tray on the table that had been brought in. Stepping closer, he eased the blond into a sitting position, gasping in surprise when the glazed-over brown eyes stared up at him blankly.

The alien blinked slowly, then obediently opened his mouth, waiting for the first bite of food that he knew was coming.

Seto's brows furrowed together as he gently cupped the blond's jaw, running his thumb along his jaw line. "Did I do this to you?"

The blond blinked up at him.

"…I'm sorry, I… Here…" The brunet gently grasped his wrist, turning his arm so he could see the wound there. He grimaced when he saw the damage he'd caused with the needle, then sighed. "I'll be right back."

The alien blinked at him again and did nothing else to show he understood. Seto got the feeling that perhaps maybe he _didn't_ understand anymore.

He left to grab a first-aid kit and returned to find the blond hadn't moved, instead still staring sightlessly ahead of him. Sitting down on the cot carefully, Seto eased the blond's arm out so he could see all of it.

The alien gasped and jerked away, babbling something in his natural tongue and pulling his arm up to his chest protectively.

"Hey—Wait—Damn it, hold still!" Seto exclaimed angrily, grabbing his arm and yanking on it much more roughly than he probably should have.

The blond sobbed, antennae twitching violently before he fell still.

Seto stared at him for a few moments, stunned, then frowned, carefully reaching out to gently brush his fingers over the wound. The alien did nothing to acknowledge him, instead staring blankly ahead again. Deciding to take advantage of the new development, he took the time to treat the wound and carefully wrap it with a bandage.

Once that was finished, he motioned at the food. "Aren't you hungry?"

The blond turned his head to stare at him, blinking slowly, then turned his gaze back on the wall.

The human frowned in concern. "If you don't eat, you'll get sick, you know." When he still received no response, he lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "Come on. You know you need to."

He was surprised when the glazed eyes slowly moved to focus on him, but he quickly schooled his face into a pleasant smile. "Well? I suppose you're hungry."

The alien stared at him again, antennae twitching a little.

Seeing that the blond's eyes were still glazed over, Seto's smile faded. The alien had always looked at him, had been attentive, had _listened_ to him, and now… Now he didn't even see him. It hurt, seeing eyes once so full of life now dull and listless. Had… had he done that? When he'd gotten angry and stormed away, had he been the cause of the blond's current state.

The only thing that seemed to illustrate that the alien was even alive was the short twitches of his antennae.

He'd always wondered about those, but had been hesitant to even touch them. They looked so delicate, and he assumed they were sensitive, always feeling things out. He didn't want to accidentally hurt them, but… he'd seen the blond pull on them before, so why couldn't he just… touch them?

Seto lifted his hand, fingers only a few centimeters away from the end of one of the twitching appendages. After another tentative pause, he brushed the tip of his finger across the end of the twitching antenna.

He yelped as his finger was met with a short zap of electricity, jerking his hand back quickly and staring at the wildly twitching antenna in surprise. "What the he—"

"SZHA! KARGDAFONDEEEEE?" the alien shouted, clamping his hand around the waggling antenna and glaring at him in confusion.

Seto watched the antenna continue to have its seizure on the blond's head, wondering if it had been static electricity that he hadn't realized he'd created or if it was the blond's body that had done it. "…Is that… Are you okay?"

The blond chattered at him like an angry cat, then turned and huffed, crossing his arms as his antenna slowly calmed down.

The human frowned. …He supposed it was a step up from the blank stare he'd been getting before, though.

At least, it was until the alien grabbed the bowl from the tray and slammed it down on his head, covering him with runny oatmeal.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey scowled as the brunet stepped into his room again, but deep down, he was relieved. He hadn't liked the other men that had come in and poked and prodded him. He'd felt… lonely, sad. He'd worried that Seto may never come back, that he'd been really mad and that he'd never see him again. But, now that Seto _was_ back, he was angry that he'd left, so he made sure to make that anger known.

He'd been doing quite well with that, actually; so far, the Earthling had left the room with the blond's breakfast covering him a total of four times and counting.

Antennae twitching as he heard the rustle of plastic, he frowned and turned his head, gasping when he saw the familiar sugary treats. He lunged for it, releasing a squeal of delight.

Seto scowled and jerked it out of his reach. "Hey, you remember what happened last time? I just brought this in to see if you recognized any of the ingredients. The scans of your blood showed elevated hormone levels and—"

Joey grumbled and looked at the list of ingredients in annoyance. Who cared if he got a little hot and bothered! The jerk didn't seem to care last time, helping him jerk off! He was certain that Seto would help him again, if he was allowed to eat the stupid marshmallows-!

The blond's eyes narrowed before he lifted his head to glare at the Earthling. _"You. Gave. Me. __**Gelatin?**__"_

Seto frowned. "What? Do you see something?"

"_GELATIN TURNS ALL XERXONIANS INTO NYMPHOS, YOU ASSHOLE!"_ Joey roared, prodding the ingredient paragraph with his finger angrily. _"Elevated hormone levels! Who __**wouldn't**__ have elevated hormone levels after eating as much gelatin as I did!"_

"…Sooo… no gelatin, then," the brunet muttered, looking at the ingredient the alien had been pointing at. "…Sorry about that."

"…_Yeah, whatever,"_ the alien replied, opening the bag and shoving his hand in.

Seto let out a disgruntled snarl and grabbed for his wrist. "Are you serious? You just yelled at me and you think I'm going to just let you eat them!"

"_Nyu! They must all be mine!"_ the blond exclaimed, gobbling up as many as he could.

The Earthling shook him and snarled again. "You FREAK! Give me the bag! You're not supposed to be eating them anyway! GIVE THEM TO ME!"

Joey made sure to smack his lips as the marshmallows squished sickeningly between his teeth.

Seto couldn't help an outraged roar. "You're so immature!"

Joey didn't even bother pointing out that the brunet was just as immature. Seto wouldn't have understood what he said anyway.


	33. Horny

Author's Note: Yes. Play on words, just for the lulz. Hope you enjoy it. If not, well… I thought it was cute. **:|**

****Updated (07-13-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Horny

Seto grunted as he felt fingers trailing over his horn, then sat up abruptly, snatching the perpetrator's wrist as he tried to pull away. He snarled immediately, slamming the human up against the wall. "What do you want!"

The blond squirmed, eyes wide with terror. "Please, I wasn't gonna hurt ya or anything!"

"Why were you touching my horns?" Seto hissed, glaring at him.

"I-I was told I needed—"

"—That you needed an ice demon's horn and _hell,_ I have two of them, so I shouldn't miss one!" the brunet snarled, using one hand to hold the human's wrists tightly as he slammed his fist into the wall. The stone shattered beneath his hand.

The human trembled and bit his bottom lip. "Please-! I didn't mean t' make ya mad! I—"

Seto snatched the serrated blade at the blond's hip from its sheath, holding it up in front of his face. "You were going to try sawing it off with this, weren't you? This flimsy little blade!" He narrowed his eyes and scraped the teeth of the knife over his horn.

The younger boy gasped as the tip of the knife broke off at the force of the stroke. "Oh gods-!"

"You foolish little human. Damn it—You're not even the first one!" The brunet glowered at him for a few moments before using a touch of his power to cause a chunk of ice to pin the human's hands to the wall, leaving his feet dangling at least six inches above the floor of the cave that was his den. He took a step back and hissed again. "Foolish humans."

The blond yelped as he slammed his fist into the wall on his other side, flinching away from the shards of rock that hit his body. "Ah!"

"Tell me what your name is so I can send word to your village." The demon growled lowly. "That another one of their pathetic warriors has fallen at my hands." He reached out to lightly grip the blond's side, leering at him wickedly. "I'm sure you'll be incredibly tender when I eat you if I just roast you a little bit."

"I'm not a warrior—please—they don't even know I've left! _Ahn!_" He flinched as the knife was lifted to his face. "No!"

Seto glared at him again. "Tell me. Your name."

"Joseph Wheeler! Ngh-! Everyone calls me Joey-!" the blond exclaimed. He bleated weakly as the knife hooked in his shirt and ripped downward, shivering as the scraps of ripped cloth fluttered to the ground. "'m sorry! 'm sorry! Please don't-!"

The demon roared and slammed the knife into the ice he'd covered the blond's hands with, just barely missing his fingers with the sharp blade. "Why the hell do you all want my horns? Why do you keep coming and trying to saw them off or break them—or even file them fucking down! _What do you want with my horns, you little tramp!_"

Joey flinched at the loud roar in his face, then bowed his head and whimpered. "T-the witches! They said we needed one of your horns to be able to cure everyone-!"

Seto narrowed his eyes and growled. "…Witches?" He grabbed the blond's chin to hold his head still and leaned in, burying his face in his throat. He took a deep breath of the human's scent, then slid down his chest, inhaling deeply.

He rumbled loudly as he recognized some of the scents lingering on him, eyes flying open as he let out a furious roar and punched the wall again. The blond whimpered anxiously. "Ah-!"

"Damn it! They'll do everything they can to make my life miserable, won't they?" the brunet hissed to himself, then turned his gaze on the human's frightened brown eyes. "What's this about a cure?"

Joey bit his bottom lip and trembled a little as the demon's sharp nails scratched over his sides. "I-I… There's a fever that's goin' around. People keep dyin'." Nervous tears filled his eyes as the brunet rumbled quietly. "The witches came along and said they'd seen the illness before. Said they needed the horn of an ice demon t' be able t' brew the medicine." He gasped as the demon's growl grew louder and squeezed his eyes shut, turning his gaze away quickly. "Nn!"

"And _you_ were obviously the best choice for getting it," Seto hissed. "A scrawny little nothing of a human. Were you honestly the best they had?"

"I told ya-! They didn't even know I left!" The blond whimpered again. "I didn't even care, until Serenity got sick! I just won't let her die without doin' all I can!" He looked up at the demon pleadingly. "I was only gonna take the tip of your horn. Just enough t' help her. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

The demon rumbled loudly, glaring at him even harder, then huffed. "And who is Serenity? Your lover?"

Joey shot him a glare of his own. "My little _sister._ Jerk. I'd do anything for her—not that you'd know anything about that!" He gasped as the brunet slammed his fist into the wall next to his head, flinching as some shards of rock flicked against his face. "Ngh!"

"Do you think demons just drop out of the sky? Pop out of the ground? I had parents, too—which means that I also have a little brother." Seto narrowed his eyes and rumbled quietly in annoyance. "One that I would slaughter thousands of humans for if it would keep him safe."

"So ya see why I had t' come out here?" A tear rolled down the blond's cheek, and he cursed himself for it. "She's _dyin'._ I'm gonna lose her!"

The demon snorted and took a step back. "So? Why should that move me? I'm _still_ going to kill you and eat you and you're _still_ not going to get my horn."

"Bastard! I just-!" Joey sobbed helplessly. "…I just wanted t' help my sister."

"I don't care." The brunet turned his back on him and went to go lie down on his bed, sighing as the bird down gave beneath his weight. "I'll eat you later."

"…Asshole," the human muttered, trying to struggle against the magical ice a little, then fell still.

Sighing quietly, he squirmed in discomfort before quieting again. He would probably be there for a while.

Seeing that he wasn't going anywhere, he took a few moments to inspect his captor. If it hadn't been for the white, ribbed tail and the thick white horns jutting from just behind his temples and circling to arch down to a point at his neck like some sort of twisted crown, he would have mistaken him for a human. Then again, he was an elemental demon, not a bestial one, so maybe that was why…

…He didn't want to be eaten. He looked up at the ice covering his hands and swallowed thickly as he saw the knife still embedded in it. Well, as long he was killed quickly and didn't suffer, he supposed he sort of deserved it. He _had_ been planning on sawing off and stealing the brunet's horn.

This was boring. He couldn't move. All he could do was wiggle to amuse himself. And his hands were cold. They were starting to go numb. It was uncomfortable. How was he supposed to—

Seto stood abruptly and stomped over to him with a hiss. "You're so annoying!"

Joey squeaked as the brunet grabbed his head. "Agh!"

The demon knocked the blond's skull against the wall, grunting in approval as he fell limp. "Gods. You're loud even when you're not talking." He tilted his head as he examined the little human, then sighed, scowling.

He had a little sister. A little sister that was sick, that he'd risked his life to rescue. A little sister that would never know what happened to her brother, if this fever was what he thought it to be.

These witches would stop at nothing to get his horns. He knew they'd continue cursing village after village, trying to get them to do their dirty work and steal his horns from his cold, dead body. He also knew that the humans would come to hate him for killing the ones that came after his horns, even if he _was_ only protecting himself.

Well, it would be best to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand.

Cupping the blond's cheek, he frowned. He'd only done his duty as an older brother. He'd tried to protect her, and what had he gotten for his troubles?

…Knocked out against a cave wall, that's what.

Seto sighed through his nose and rolled his eyes, disgusted with his own sympathy. "I really _am_ going soft."

Reaching up, he crushed the ice around the blond's hands and caught him as he fell. He lifted a hand to stroke his fingers over the lump forming from the injury he'd inflicted. Using a little ice to ease the pain that he would feel when he woke, he carried the human over to his bed and set him down gently, tucking him in as if he was a small child. He was really going soft. If the other demons could see him now…

Seto paused to ruffle the human's hair, unable to help a chuckle as the blond mewed in approval. "Though I suppose the humans would laugh if they saw _you_ now, too, coddled by a demon."

He tucked the blond's hair behind his ear before standing and snatching a scrap of his shirt up, then strode swiftly from his den. He paused outside and turned, waving his hand to twist the rock formation closed, keeping both his belongings and the blond safe from prying, selfish, malicious creatures that would just love to steal his gold and jewels and make off with the tasty morsel of a human in his bed.

Moments later, he heard the inquisitive squeals of his pets. He turned and reached out to pet one of the white dragons gently. "Hello. Yes, yes, I'm glad to see you too." He pet the other two and sighed, then tossed the scrap of cloth. "Smell that."

The three dragons sniffed the cloth curiously. They turned their gazes to him afterward, shuffling toward the cave in confusion.

Seto sighed. "No, not the human's scent. _Under_ the human's scent. Sorry, I should have told you that in the first place. You'll recognize the scents," he added as the dragons smelled the cloth again. "Some witches." He smiled as the dragons let out angry squeals. "Yes, the witches. You're allowed to eat them this time." His face twisted into a snarl. "In fact, make sure you eat them. Don't come back until you find each witch you smelled on that fabric and kill them."

The dragons squealed and shuffled away so they could spread their wings. The brunet watched them fly off, then frowned. Time to go frighten the humans…

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto vaguely heard screeching in the distance. He assumed it was the witches, who had probably sensed the dragons approaching and tried to escape. Glancing around at the humans staring at him in awe, he scowled, lip curling up in a disgusted sneer. "Which one of you is the healer?"

Mothers began ushering their children inside, and fathers grabbed pitchforks or shovels. The humans were suddenly in motion after being stunned into silence by his appearance.

The brunet huffed in annoyance. He was quite prepared to snap each and every attacker's neck. However, he _was_ thankful when a girl stepped out of the crowd. "You're a bit young to be a healer, aren't you?"

She jutted her chin out bravely. "My mother is the healer here. What business do you have with her? She's busy tending to the ill."

"I want to speak with her." Seto dipped his head to glare at her. "I don't appreciate waiting. However, if you humans don't want help in creating the cure to this plague, I have no problem leaving every one of you here to die."

The girl gasped in surprise as the air cooled around them, making their breaths visible in short puffs of fog. Looking up at the brunet in shock, she hesitated before nodding and motioning for him to follow her. "This way."

Following the girl to one of the small houses, he raised an eyebrow when she paused outside the door. However, he realized she would not want to get sick either, so he walked past her into the house, nearly bowling over the plump woman that had been passing between the entryway and another room. He caught the bowl she'd dropped in surprise, then turned his gaze back on her worn, tired face.

The woman sighed and took the bowl when he offered it back to her. "Thank you."

Seto wondered if she'd missed that he was a demon because of exhaustion, or if she just didn't care. "You're the healer?"

"So I've been told, though I haven't been doing much healing at all," she muttered bitterly. "Just easing the pain of the dying, lately."

The brunet tilted his head and eyed her skeptically. After deciding she at least looked trustworthy, he lifted his hand and, grasping his horn, snapped it off cleanly. "I trust you'll find a use for this."

The woman gasped as he placed it in her hand. "You can't really mean to just give this to us-! So many other villages have sent warriors to get this, and—"

"I prefer not to get humans hating me _too_ much," Seto cut in. "But I need you to swear upon your life that you will treat Serenity Wheeler with the medicine first."

She frowned. "She's still alive? I thought she'd passed on—that that's why Joey hadn't called for me lately—"

"Her brother has sacrificed himself for the sake of your village," the brunet stated curtly. He wondered when he'd made that decision. "I think it only right that his sister be the first one healed."

The healer gasped again. "That poor boy gave his _life-!_"

Seto did not correct her, because he was suddenly quite certain that Joey would be spending the remainder of his life with him. "He should not have startled me."

At this, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad. So, she simply stared, until the demon turned and walked away without another word.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey moaned as he felt a cool hand gently rubbing the lump on the back of his head, grimacing as he tried to squirm away. "That hurts…"

"I can't heal you if you keep pulling away," Seto stated curtly. "It's going to hurt, yes. But would you rather deal with the pain a few minutes, or would you rather deal with it for a few days?"

The human mewled in complaint as the brunet's fingers brushed the throbbing wound on the back of his head, squeezing his eyes shut as the world around him began to spin. "Ugh…"

"If you feel nauseous, don't throw up on me," the brunet added, scowling. "That would be disgusting and I would not be pleased."

"Hng… Hate you…" Joey whimpered as the throbbing became a dull tingle that sent cold shivers down his spine. "I don't like this-!"

"You know what? I don't care." Seto frowned as he felt the lump shrinking and slid his other hand down to give the blond's arm a soft squeeze. "I'm almost finished, anyway."

"Ngh… So cold…" The human trembled a little, feeling cold all over. "Hnn…" He tried to think of warm things, like bonfires and thick blankets, and it helped a little. The cold didn't seem so bad. It was almost tolerable. "Ah… Ahn…"

Seeing the boy's mouth falling open, the brunet raised an eyebrow, unable to help his tail twitching in agitation as he saw the pink tongue lick at his lips. Without thinking, he slipped two fingers into the blond's mouth. He was unable to suppress the surprising shudder of pleasure up his spine.

The human's mouth was so _hot._ He wanted nothing more than to feel more of that heat, to have the warm saliva coating other, more intimate parts of his body. He wanted to push his slick fingers into the blond and stretch him. He wanted to spread the younger boy's legs and violate him the nastiest way he knew how—hard and fast and rough, and then he'd fuck him with his tail until he begged for him to stop—

Hmm. Perhaps this was why he'd suddenly decided he was keeping the scrawny human. He was beginning his rut period and his body had found its preferred submissive partner. He rumbled quietly. He didn't like the thought of raping anyone, but he knew that as time passed and he went further into rut, he'd be less likely to accept 'no' for an answer and would have no qualms throwing the blond's legs open and sating himself with him.

He could only hope the pheromones he gave off would affect the blond like they affected other demons and that the blond would be induced into consensual sex. If he thought back, he realized he must have been releasing those pheromones for quite some time now, and perhaps that was why the human had hesitated in trying to take his horns.

If that was the case, it meant that the little blond could very well be already experiencing the effects of the pheromones. It would explain why he hadn't bit down on the fingers in his mouth, or why he was staring up at him with eyes glazed—still with pain, but now there was something else as he finished healing the boy's head.

Joey blinked up at him slowly, blushing a little as he rolled his tongue around the fingers in his mouth curiously. He squeaked in surprise as the claw-tipped fingers caught his tongue, then let his eyes flutter shut, breath coming a little harder.

Something smelled sweet, almost sickening in its sugary quality. He felt warm, now, and growing still warmer despite the cool fingers in his mouth. Squirming, he gasped quietly as the brunet withdrew his fingers, unable to help a whimper as the demon dipped his head to crush his mouth. "Nn!"

Seto moaned. The blond's mouth felt hotter on his tongue than it had on his fingers. He wanted to rip his pants off and fuck him silly just from feeling the warm tongue squirming against his own. Breaking the kiss, he sat up and growled, pawing at the cloth covering the human's legs.

Joey gasped and squirmed helplessly, cheeks flushing as the demon's claws grabbed the hem of his pants. "No, wait—" He bleated in surprise as his pants were torn from his body, shaking as the cloth was tossed aside. "Please—please, wait—"

The brunet growled again, grasping the human's knees and pulling them apart quickly. "Wait for what? You're _mine._"

"Please don't kill me, I—Ha!" The younger boy squeaked in surprise as the demon grabbed his hair and jerked his head forward, shoving his face into his crotch. "Ah-! Nn!" He whimpered again when he realized that he wasn't going to be killed—It was comforting to know he wasn't going to die, even if what he realized was going to happen frightened him a little.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey whimpered as the brunet released him and fell forward onto the bed, shivering. "Nngh…" He mewed as he was rolled onto his back and blinked up at the demon slowly. "…Your…"

The brunet raised his eyebrows inquisitively as he settled himself beside him, pulling the human's warm body up against his cool one. He hadn't realized that humans could be more sensitive to his pheromones than other demons, but as he glanced around his cave, he realized that there was nowhere for his pheromones to go but through the blond at this point. He'd have to open up his cave a little, once the blond was asleep.

But only once he was asleep. He didn't want to give the human a chance to escape, despite how doped up he might be with his pheromones. "Hmm? My what?"

"…Your horn…" Joey touched the stub that had once been a magnificent horn. "It's gone…"

"I broke it off," Seto replied, reaching up to cover the blond's hand with his own.

The human blinked slowly; he was going to pass out soon from the heat of the room and the sweet scent. "Oh. …Did it hurt?"

The brunet hummed quietly, wondering if he should tell the truth, then decided it didn't matter. "…A little."

"Oh." Joey blinked up at him a little longer, then sat up and brushed his lips over the stub of his horn. "I'm sorry."

Seto blinked as the blond's head fell back to the bed, eyes fluttering closed, then sat up a little. He touched the remnants of his horn in confusion. It had felt warm, but the human's lips had only been there for a few scant seconds. And that warmth was radiating from the stub of his horn through his head, down his body to come to a rest in his chest.

Strange. This heat was different. The warmth stayed with him for quite some time afterward.


	34. Weeded

Author's Note: SO. MUCH. FLUFF!

WARNING: We have a scene of almost-rape. Just putting that out there. BECAUSE WEEDS ARE EVIL!

* * *

Weeded

"What are you going to do now, little rose?"

"There's nowhere for you to run!"

Joey closed his eyes tightly and clung to one of the branches of his rosebush, trying to pretend that it had just been planted again. The couple had just gotten married, and he had been a symbol of that love. They'd weeded around him and watered him and pruned his branches, treating him so nicely.

Then they'd started bringing along a child, one that he'd accidentally pricked with his thorns. Luckily, the child only shed a few tears, and had returned to help his parents care for him. Another child followed a few years later, but had been kept from pricking himself by his older brother. It had been the best years of his life.

But abruptly, the care had ended. The happy little family no longer came to prune him—that was okay, though, because he was still pretty despite his bedraggled limbs. He could make do without being watered as well, because it rained often enough to quench his thirst. It was the weeds he worried about.

_The weeds._

Weeds that had been crawling toward his rosebush threateningly, their life-snatching roots reaching toward it like fingers. Weeds that wanted to strangle his life source, seep out all of the nutrients. Weeds that brought mean, cruel floral fairies that _loved_ to pick on him after they'd taken care of all the smaller, lesser plants around him.

He'd been able to hide within the safety of the thorns most of the time, peering out anxiously as the weed fairies were scratched and pricked and cut. But, as the years had passed, the weeds had gotten close enough to begin leeching all of his nutrients and water. His plant was sickly, so it couldn't protect him like it had. Now the weed fairies were flittering about ominously, waiting for him to come out to try and get some nutrients somewhere else for his plant.

Joey shuddered. These fairies were just waiting to catch him and germinate with him and cover him in their pollen. That's what they'd done to the other floral fairies, and he had only been able to watch in horror as his neighbors were raped and raped and raped until their plants died under the weed fairies' poison-like plants and they disappeared into nothingness. He had been unable to do anything.

And now that fate was going to fall upon him. He looked down at his plant and sighed sadly. He could hold out a few more days, but he knew that without the nutrients the weeds were sapping from him, his bush would die, and so would he. He needed to go get something—anything—for his rosebush.

But what if he was caught? There would still be several days until his rosebush died completely. Maybe even a week! He didn't know if he could handle forced germination that long! Especially with the amount of weeds around him!

Joey shuddered again. He had counted at least four or five different weed fairies. All of them leered at him with yellow eyes and made obscene gestures with their hands, showing him what would happen to him if they ever managed to get their hands on him. He knew that the weeds were nothing if not patient, and would probably wait for a turn unwearyingly to germinate with him. If that was the case, he'd probably just be raped without pause until his rosebush died. In any case, his end would be the same messy, torturous scene no matter which way he looked at it.

Swallowing thickly, Joey turned and flapped his wings to warm up a little. He could out-fly these weed fairies. He could. He took a deep breath, then leapt from the branch he'd been huddled on, wings flapping for all he was worth as he tore away from his rosebush.

The weed fairies had been expecting just that.

He yelped as one of the weed fairies slammed into his side, causing them to roll over the ground until they came to a stop on the very weeds choking off his bush. He tried to scramble away, wheezing, but then another weed fairy was on him, wrapping an arm around his neck to choke him and grabbing one of his arms.

Joey yelped as two more weed fairies began ripping at his clothes. "No! No! Lemme go!"

The rose leaves serving as his tunic were kilt and shredded under the violent onslaught. The blond shrieked as he was shoved onto the ground, clawing frantically at the dry dirt as the weed fairies laughed and jeered as the largest one settled behind him, between his legs. He let out a frightened sob as he felt something hard rubbing against him and shook his head, trying to block out what was happening.

The weed fairy above him screamed, and he felt the now familiar tingle of magic that meant that a floral fairy had died.

Joey hiccupped quietly, still shaken, as he turned to watch the other weed fairies scatter.

He gasped quietly as he saw a human with short brown hair swept to one side of his face and piercing blue eyes looking at him. He hoped he wouldn't be squished. Humans did that sometimes when they were startled or afraid—fairies were so easy to squish-!

The fairy gasped again as the brunet knelt before him, carefully cupping his hands around him to lift him off the ground. "Ah!" He blushed a little as he was settled on one of the human's palms, cowering down so he didn't appear to be a feisty pixie instead.

The man glanced down at the weed he'd pulled and scowled, kicking it aside, then began walking over to the sickly rosebush. "It's alright. They won't hurt you anymore."

Joey peered up at him anxiously. "T-thank you…"

"Hmm…" Kneeling again in front of the rosebush, the brunet frowned as he delicately examined some of the weaker branches. "It's sick. No one's bothered to take care of it, have they?"

The fairy shook his head sadly. "No. I've done the best I can, but we're gettin' weak."

"Ah." The man sighed through his nose, eyes wistful for a moment, then began patting around the roots. "…This dirt is barren. I suppose I could fertilize it, but…" He frowned. "I'd been hoping to move it sooner…"

"M-move?" Joey's teary eyes widened hopefully. "You'll move us to a new place with good soil and water us and keep the weeds away?"

"Well, that was my plan," the brunet stated bitterly. "I don't think the bush would survive being transplanted like this," he added, reaching his hand out to allow the fairy to light on one of the branches instead.

Joey looked down at the wood beneath his feet, feeling the throb of stubbornness of a plant unwilling to die without a fight. Turning toward the human, he crossed his arms. "We can make it."

The man smiled a little. "Are you sure? Neither of you look like you can survive the shock."

"We'll be _fine,_" the blond hissed, glaring at him.

The human chuckled and stood up. "Alright. I'll go get the shovel. I just wanted to make sure the bush was still here."

"Always!" the fairy exclaimed, smiling, despite the sick, nervous feeling that began building in his stomach.

"Oh… And if any other _weeds_ decide that messing with you might be fun," the brunet added icily. "I'll bring along the weed killer just in case. So all you have to do is point out which weed for me to shoot and they can die _slow_ and _painful_ deaths."

Joey frowned. "But what if they fairy-nap me instead?"

The human flashed him a quick, dangerous smirk. "Then I'll just kill all of them."

"Oh!" The blond blushed and covered his mouth. The answer seemed so simple that he felt silly for even asking. "Okay!"

Turning to sit heavily, the fairy's cheeks burned darker. He'd only let the children of his planters see him, and only short glances. His rosebush was in such a secluded spot that humans passing by were rare. He'd just had a conversation with a human! And it was nice!

…He'd been making sure that the rosebush was still there. That meant that he'd already known about it! Could it be that he was one of the little boys?

His wings nearly vibrated with hope. He hadn't been forgotten! He may have been abandoned, but one of the humans had finally returned! He'd stopped hoping, and now, when all was lost, the human had come to the rescue!

Joey squeaked as he saw some of the weed fairies glaring at him and dove into the center of the rosebush.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you okay?"

Joey moaned as he felt something delicately brush his hair out of his sweaty face. "Ngh…"

"Hey. Answer me."

The blond moaned again as something hit his face and slowly blinked his eyes open. "Hah…?" Slowly, he became aware of blue and brown blurs. He blinked a few times, thankful when everything came into focus. Staring up into the human's concerned face, he frowned, rasping, "What happened?"

"I transferred your bush, remember?" The brunet used the tip of his finger to smooth his hair out of his face again. "Are you alright?"

"…I think so," Joey replied, lifting a hand to his head. "Oh…" He frowned in confusion as he found himself on something soft, then looked up at the human in confusion. "Where am I…?"

"When the rosebush went into shock, you passed out. I brought you inside and put you on one of my pillows." The brunet shrugged a little. "I used a washcloth as a blanket, since you're supposed to keep people who go into shock warm…"

"Oh." The fairy sat up and looked around, mouth falling open in surprise. "Everything is so big!" He looked down at his blanket and ran his hand over it. "…It's so soft…" He looked back up at the human. "What's your name?"

"Seto. Seto Kaiba."

The name 'Seto' sounded familiar; 'Kaiba,' however, didn't ring any bells.

Joey frowned and tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Seto… Seto and… Seto and Mo… Seto and Mobuta?"

Seto smiled awkwardly. "Mokuba. His name is Mokuba."

"Oh." The fairy blushed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You were close." The brunet held his hand out to him. "It's okay. We hadn't been helping Mom and Dad long, so I wouldn't expect you to remember his name. Then the accident happened… I only just got the time to come see the rosebush. You."

Joey blushed a little more as he set his hand on the tip of one of the brunet's fingers and stood up. "Thank you." He looked up at the human and tilted his head. "I only let you and your brother see hints of me. How did ya know-?"

"Mom always agreed that you were there when we told her what we saw," Seto explained, allowing the fairy to step onto his hand. He stood and began walking out of the room. "After she died, I guess I still wanted to believe it. I almost didn't know what to do when I saw you, especially with those other fairies attacking you. Why would they do that?"

"Oh, I don't know," the blond sighed, frowning, and lifted a hand to cup his chin. "Flora fairies of the weed variety have always been known for bein' violent. 'nd I know that forcin' the fairies of the plants they're killin' t' germinate with 'em isn't uncommon, especially if the victim is the opposite gender." He sighed again and scratched the back of his head. "I don't really know why they do it. I assume it has somethin' t' do with their leechin' nature. Do whatever makes _them_ feel good despite how bad it makes other people feel."

"That sounds like a logical explanation…" The brunet nodded, then frowned and looked down at him. "Forcing other fairies to what?"

"Germinate!" Joey answered, scowling. "Flower fairies like to germinate whenever they're fuckin' good and ready, but _weeds_—"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "What is… germinating?"

The blond looked back up at him and blink in surprise. "You know, when flowers pollinate each other. Germinating. I mean, I know that humans may not understand that definition, but it's the word we use."

There were a few moments of silence in which the human stared at him. Finally, though, he managed to ask, "Those… those fairies were going to _rape_ you?"

Joey frowned in confusion. "Well… yeah, that's what forced germination is."

Seto was suddenly glad he'd ripped the weed from the ground, and especially thankful that it had been the _correct_ weed.

"I'm starved! Ya got any good dirt around here?" the blond asked, placing his hands on his stomach. "Or fertilizer. I'm not picky."

The human raised an eyebrow at him. "Wouldn't you prefer something else?"

"…Compost! I heard some other fairies talkin' about compost once!" Joey exclaimed, looking up at him hopefully. "I hear it's s'posed t' be really good for me, too!"

Seto sighed. Somehow, he didn't think politely offering the floral fairy some sort of tea-and-crackers thing would work.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The fairy beamed as he was given a little plastic teacup of water and took a sip, then looked up at the two humans watching him in amusement. "How'd ya get stuff my size, anyway? This table, 'nd chair, an' this cup—"

"Seto had me stop by a doll accessory shop and pick up some things," Mokuba answered, picking up another package and tearing it open. "I bought you some clothes. Hm… I suppose we could get some tape as a belt if they're too big."

Joey gasped quietly as the younger human set a pair of blue pants on the table, then stood, immediately grasping the pants to pull them on. "Wow! They're like human clothes!" He made sure the pants were snug enough that they wouldn't fall off, then beamed up at the two humans again. "How do they look?"

"Fantastic!" Mokuba replied, smiling.

Seto nodded. "Suits you."

"Mwee!" The fairy hugged himself gleefully. "I like them!"

"Good," the brunet answered, lifting up a small bowl of compost and grimacing a little. He turned and tapped a little less than half a thimble full of compost onto the blond's little plastic plate. "Here. You said you wanted to try some."

Joey rushed to sit down and picked up his little plastic spoon. He looked up at the humans, wings twitching a little because he felt so welcome and happy. "Do ya treat all your fairies like this, or am I just special?"

"The other fairies in the garden—if there are any—haven't really shown themselves to us yet," Seto replied, taking the cup of tea his brother offered him. "But that's okay. We only have real emotional ties to you."

"Oh." The blond scooped up a spoonful of compost and shoved it in his mouth. He chewed it carefully, eyes closed for a moment as he thought over the taste of it and whether he liked it or not. After a moment, though, he opened his eyes and smiled at the curious expressions he was receiving, blushing in embarrassment as he turned away. "I-It's really good. Maybe you can put some of it around my rosebush, too." He peered up at them anxiously. "Or fertilizer. We're still weak."

Mokuba frowned in confusion. "Are you and the rosebush the same thing, or-?"

"We have the same life-force," Joey replied, smiling. "If it dies, I die, but it's usually pretty hard t' kill a rosebush. 'nd it's my safe place. If I hide in it, no one can get t' me." He took another sip from his cup of water, then turned back to his compost. "I eat the same things the rosebush does, but I can eat other things, too, as long as I get all the nutrients I need. We're so close spiritually, though, that sometimes flower fairies refer to their plants as themselves, or the other way around. We're the flowers, and the flowers are us."

The younger boy gasped in horror. "Does that mean we were hurting you when we pruned you?"

The blond blinked up at him in confusion. "…N-no. You… you were just makin' me pretty." He lifted a hand to his messy hair in embarrassment and looked away. "I mean, I'm the sort of plant that always looks a little wild, but I always felt better after a prunin' because my hair would be nice and stuff."

The two humans glanced at each other. "…So basically we gave you a haircut," Seto stated.

"Yeah." Joey yawned quietly, covering his mouth, then ducked his head. "'m sorry. I'm still a little tired from transplantin'."

"If you're tired, we should let you rest," Mokuba decided, then punched his brother in the arm. "Carry him. He's tired."

Seto rolled his eyes as the fairy blushed but stood and offered the fairy his hand. "Do you want to go out to the rosebush or do you want to stay inside?"

"Well, I liked wakin' up on that soft thing," Joey mumbled, frowning. "But I think I better go back t' the rosebush, so I can make sure it's doin' okay. I mean, I'm sure you guys took great care of replantin' it," he added hurriedly when the brunet raised an eyebrow at him. "But I guess it's just been so long that I'm used t' takin' care of it myself." He glanced away in embarrassment.

The human hummed thoughtfully. "I guess I can understand that. Well, here." He knelt to allow the blond onto his rosebush. "Just to warn you, while Mokuba and I fully intend to take care of you two ourselves, we do have a crew of people come in and tend to the other plants, since there are so many. Try not to let them catch you."

The fairy turned to smile up at him. "I already told ya. This is my safe place. If I don't want anyone to see me—" He flapped his wings a few times, and Seto gasped quietly as he suddenly disappeared from sight. "—Then I'm not seen." His head poked out of the middle of the bush. "Thank you for the water and compost!"

Seto could only stare as he once again disappeared. "Um… You're welcome." He stayed for a few moments, then stood, unable to help the corners of his lips quirking up into a small smile. "Quite welcome."


	35. Bunny Folk

Author's Note: Thanks to HiddenByFaeries for this wonderful idea! And happy Easter everyone, whether you celebrate or not! And yes, this is pretty short, but I just wanted something short, funny, and maybe a little sweet if you squint. **:)**

Also, bunnies are horny creatures. **:|** End of story.

* * *

Bunny Folk

Joey looked the egg he was holding over carefully, examining it for cracks or drippings of paint; he couldn't leave any imperfect eggs and, since he had volunteered to take from the last batch of the eggs, the extra scrutiny was necessary. Seeing nothing wrong with the egg, he placed it delicately behind the couch's throw pillow. He was glad they used stronger shells on their chocolate eggs. If someone sat on these, it would take a lot of pressure to break them.

He yelped as a hand grabbed his wrist when he went to place another chocolate egg on the coffee table beneath some magazines, turning to face his attacker swiftly. His nose twitched automatically as it was filled with the scent of coffee and a little cigarette smoke and maybe even some whiskey at the very edge of it. His breath caught in his throat as he was frozen by icy blue eyes, a shiver going through his body so hard that his tail trembled.

"What are you doing?" The man's voice was hard, and mean, and cold, as if his words were ice itself.

Joey flinched as the grip on his wrist tightened, reaching to try and claw his hand off. "Oi! That hurst! Lemme go!" He struggled against the tight grip wildly. "Jeez! I'm just deliverin' eggs for my friend! He's really busy this time o' year! Lemme go! Lemme go!"

"Delivering eggs? That's the worst bullshit I've ever heard." The brunet gave him a quick shake. "What are you here for?"

"Ngh!" The blond squirmed frantically. "Just deliverin' eggs-! Gah! Look!" He lifted his free hand to yank one of his golden brown lop ears up, yelping in pain when the older boy grabbed it and gave it a yank. "Gah! Asshole!"

The brunet raised an eyebrow as he rubbed the ear between his fingers, feeling how soft and warm it was. Sliding his fingers to the base, he felt where the ear met the blond's skull. "…It appears that these _are_ your real ears, whatever freak you are. But that doesn't tell me what you're here for."

Joey yelped as he was shoved up against the wall, squirming as the brunet's hands traveled over his body. "Agh! …Are you frisking me!" he exclaimed, both confused and annoyed. "Seriously?"

"What did you expect, breaking into my house?" The brunet paused as he found a little puff of a tail poking out at him, then lifted a hand and grabbed it.

Joey squealed in surprise and jerked his hips forward, then began to giggle helplessly as he squirmed. "Oh God! Let go! Let go of my tail! Eeeheehee!" He clawed at the law frantically in an attempt to get away. "Gah! That tickles! Stop!" He squirmed a little more, than squealed as he fell onto the ground. "Ngh!"

The human raised an eyebrow, then paused before he wiggled the blond's tail again. "So this is real, too…"

"Gah! Teehee!" The blond finally managed to squirm away. "Jerk! That tickled!" He covered his tail protectively and turned to glare at him, cheeks flushed from exertion. "Ya don't just grab someone's tail! You're lucky ya didn't yank it, or I woulda kicked ya!" He blew one of his lop ears out of his face and got to his feet shakily. "Guh! Jerk!" He grabbed his basket of eggs and hurried to scamper out of the room.

Of course, he paused to hide a few more eggs around the entryway. He was a good Easter Bunny's helper.

"Gah!" Joey stumbled backward and looked up at the door in confusion, rubbing his head where he'd bumped it. He'd turned the knob, so why hadn't the door opened? He frowned and reached out to turn the knob again. "Huh…?"

"I've put the mansion on lockdown."

The blond squealed and turned sharply, pressing up against the door. "Gah! Don't sneak up on me!" He frowned and turned to look at the doorknob, then looked up at the human in confusion. "L-lockdown?"

The brunet smirked. "No one can get in. Of course, that also means that no one can get _out._"

"…I-I'm not stealin' or anything! I'm just leavin' eggs for you and your brother!" He pressed closer against the door as the taller man advanced toward him. "T-they're just chocolate! You like chocolate, right!"

"Actually, I don't really care for sweets," the brunet replied, pressing his hands to the door on either side of the blond bunny's head.

Joey swallowed nervously. "…I-I'm sorry. I don't really know what else t' give ya…" He blushed as the older boy cupped his chin, his thumb running across his bottom lip. "…Please…"

"Well. I suppose you're cute enough." The brunet smirked. "How about a kiss? You won't be leaving until I get one."

"A-a kiss?" The blond blushed a little more, glancing away anxiously, then peeked up at the older boy from beneath his bangs. "…Just a kiss? Just one? No more than that?"

"No more than that," he agreed. "Just one simple little kiss."

Joey glanced away and nodded shyly. "Okay. Just one kiss."

He gasped as the brunet grabbed his hair and yanked him into a swift kiss, eyes widening as a tongue was thrust into his mouth. He mewed and arched his back in surprise, allowing the tongue to dominate his mouth as he was pressed closer to the door. "Nmn! Ah…!" He panted as the kiss was broken, confused and flustered. "W-wha-!"

He heard the door click and felt it open behind him, and looked up in confusion as the brunet gently eased him out the door. He blinked up at him in puzzlement as the brunet gently knocked the tip of his ear back behind his shoulder, then brushed his hair out of his eyes.

The older boy smirked and flicked his nose playfully. "I guess I'll see you next year, then."

Joey blushed again, eyes widening as he shut the door. "…I…" He lifted his hand to gently brush his fingers over his lips and couldn't help a nervous giggle, then scampered away; he still had a few more houses to hit tonight.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto… Kaiba…" Joey smiled as he looked down at the picture. The information said that, despite not believing in magic (even going out of his way to deny it and prove it didn't exist), he put in at least a little effort on the holidays for his little brother.

His file also said that he was usually alone, and his relationships (whether merely sexual or something more) never lasted long. Perhaps he was lonely. Maybe that was why he hadn't just booted him out of his house.

Joey blushed a little as he traced the brunet's cheek on the photo. "…Seto…." His name sounded nice. "…You're a really good kisser," he told the photograph, then giggled anxiously. "I'm sorta sad he stopped so soon."

He glanced up at the clock and bit his bottom lip. The party celebrating the end of the Easter rush for the Bunny Folk would start soon. That meant they were free for the rest of the year until February, when they started preparing for Easter again.

Tucking his lop ears back behind his shoulders, the blond giggled again and rushed to put the file back where he'd found it. "Maybe he won't mind if I visit him for another kiss!"

The clock struck midnight; the day of Easter was over, and so were his responsibilities as an Egg Layer until February. He knew he'd be frisky like nothing else for the next few months, now that the excitement was over, and he hoped that Seto Kaiba would be willing to help him with that for a while.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto raised an eyebrow as he found the blond-haired boy he'd found the night before sitting on his bed. He reached for the phone in his pocket, wondering whether he'd need to call security or go under lockdown again, but the bunny-eared human merely smiled at him sweetly. "You're back."

"Yeah!" The blond hopped onto his feet and beamed at him. "Duties for Bunny Folk are over until February. I remembered the kiss you gave me last night, and…" He blushed a little, then smiled again. "I thought, maybe one more kiss wouldn't hurt! Or some sex! I'm a rabbit and I'd really like some sex!"

The brunet stared at him for a few minutes, stunned. He took in the floppy ears, remembered the younger boy's ticklish little tail, and recalled that rabbits were notorious for their sex drives. It had been quite some time since he'd had a lover. And the blond wasn't asking him to love him or anything. Just kisses and sex. He could do kisses and sex.

So, he shrugged and motioned at the bed. "Alright. I guess I'm in the mood for some sex, too. If you'll tell me your name, I suppose we can make some sort of arrangement."

"Joey Wheeler!" Joey patted the bed next to him and cooed. "We can make an arrangement later. I'm still on my high from making it through another Easter; let's have sex while I'm still frisky!"

Seto decided that it sounded like a pretty good idea.


	36. Candle Wax II

Author's Note: SO. FUCKING. FLUFFY! **:3**

****Updated (07-13-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Candle Wax II

Seto carded his fingers through his lover's long blond hair, admiring the way it glittered in the firelight. He had long hair when he'd first turned human, but he'd decided to let it grow out. Normally, Seto didn't like men with long hair, but knowing that Joey was a dragon, that he was doing it because he liked the ticklish new feeling of hair brushing his back, somehow made it beautiful rather than off-putting.

The brunet smiled as the blond turned, crawling further onto his lap and making the cloth covering his skin ride up a little. Eyeing the base of the tail that had been exposed, he gently traced around it with his fingertip. "Joey, I think I love _everything_ about you."

Joey blushed and giggled quietly, turning onto his back to peer up at him. "Really? Like what?"

"Well, I like your body. It's toned, but not overly muscular, and it's incredibly bendy. I like watching you do the simplest things, just to see how graceful you are." Seto leaned down to gently peck his forehead. "I like your voice. It's deep enough to lull me to sleep, but high enough that I can equate it to the noises you made as a dragon, and I like that. I also like the way the pitch of your voice raises just before you orgasm."

The blond blushed a little more and couldn't help a small, embarrassed rumble reminiscent of his days as a reptile. "Seto…"

The older boy chuckled and kissed his forehead again. "I like your eyes. They're so sincere, so beautiful. I could look into them for hours." He smiled and brushed his lips down to the blond's cheek. "I like your hair. I like how you let me play with it." He twisted a golden lock around his finger. "I like how it glitters in different lights. And I like how I can _grab it—_"

Joey gasped as the brunet grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up, then moaned helplessly as his mouth was crushed in a deep kiss. "_Mm!_"

Seto broke the kiss and allowed the blond to pant quietly in surprise. "…And do anything I want to you."

"…Ha…" The dragon trembled a little as he felt the brunet gently begin to rub his hip. "…Ooh…"

"…And I like that you trust me to take care of you. It's incredibly humbling. And you know I like being in charge." Seto smiled a little and stroked his cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too-!" Joey mewed, then moaned as the hand at his cheek slid up to gently massage his scalp. "Hnn…!" He leaned into the touch and sighed, then peered up at him from beneath his lashes. "…Seto?"

"Hmm?"

"…Do… do ya wanna wash my hair?"

Seto paused, blinking in surprise as the blond shyly looked away. "…Wash… your hair…?"

"It's… it's sort of like when I didn't want ya t' help clean my tail in the beginning. It was mine, and if ya wanted t' touch it, that was fine, but it was my job t' take care of it, since you were takin' care of me." The blond bit his bottom lip in embarrassment. "…I know it's silly, but that was the way most dragons see it after the binding ceremony. And I just… I wanted ya t' know that… that I trust ya to…"

"…I would love to wash your hair. Right now? Would you mind taking a bath right now?"

Joey glanced out the window. It was late evening, and he really didn't want to leave his position in front of the fireplace with his lover. However, the idea of Seto running his fingers through his hair, of massaging his scalp, was just too tempting. "Okay." He stood, then offered the brunet his hands bashfully. "…'nd maybe… maybe we could…?"

"Hmm?" Seto tilted his head as the blond's cheeks turned a darker shade of pink, then grinned. "Oh, I'm sure we could. In fact, I'm certain that we will."

The dragon giggled anxiously and turned to scamper up the stairs. "I'm gonna go put my sleep-robes on the bed!"

The brunet hummed as he watched his lover go ahead of him. Ever since the binding ceremony, the blond had worn only robes and sometimes a yukata, only donning a shirt and jeans on rare occasions. Apparently, robes were the traditional garb of dragons-turned-human. It made sense; after all, the wax that had been dribbled on a dragon body had turned to robes on a human one.

He also thought it was cute that, even if he was exhausted from sex, Joey insisted on at least getting his arms into the robes before he passed out. Seto was just kind enough to tuck the rest of them around his body before he fell asleep, too.

Stepping into the bedroom, Seto smiled when the blond poked his head out of the bathroom. "That was quick."

"Ya walk too slow. I've already started fillin' the tub. I put in the bubbles I know ya don't like but I _really_ wanted bubbles." Joey blushed a little and nibbled his bottom lip. "…They're fun t' play with."

The brunet chuckled and walked over to cup his cheeks, placing a quick, chaste kiss on his lips. "I don't mind. You're going to let me wash your hair and tail. …In fact…" His eyes darkened. "…You should let me wash your entire body. I'll start with your hair—" He gently slid his hand into the dragon's hair. "—And finish with your toes."

Joey mewed and nuzzled into his arm, then blushed and smiled bashfully. "I guess I wouldn't mind. Oh-!" He gasped as the brunet scooped him into his arms, squirming automatically, then moaned as the brunet bit gently at his shoulder. "Seto…!"

Seto set him on the counter and reached up to gently slide his robes from his shoulders. "You're beautiful. So gorgeous…"

The dragon blushed a little more as his robes fell to his hips and unconsciously turned to hide from his lover's greedy eyes. "S-Seto, the tub's gonna overflow—" He moaned as the brunet cut him off with a kiss, then mewed as his lover pulled away to go turn off the faucets. He picked at his robes bashfully as the older boy returned to him, suddenly feeling shy; he knew that to anyone else, letting someone wash his hair or tail wouldn't seem like a big deal, but… they were his to take care of.

"I love you," the brunet murmured, smiling, and kissed him again.

Joey gasped quietly in surprise as he was gently pulled off the counter, the fabric that had pooled at his hips sliding to the floor. "Oh!" He moaned as he felt the human scratch the base of his tail and shuddered, eyes rolling back as he felt the brunet's nail scrape both scale and skin. "_Ung!_"

Seto lowered him into the tub before beginning to undress himself. "I can't get over how sensitive you are where your scale meets skin."

"Shut up-!" The dragon blushed and sank under the water, peeking up at him in embarrassment. "Bpbpbpbth."

"I'm sorry. I don't speak Bubble Bath." The brunet smiled a little and stepped into the tub. "Scoot over."

Joey maneuvered around so he was facing the human as he sat down, sliding his arms around his waist as he laid his head on his chest. "Seto…"

Seto kissed his forehead gently, then chuckled when the blond looked up at him and smiled, unaware of the bubbles on his nose. "Let me get that for you."

"Huh?" The dragon blushed as the bubbles were brushed off of his nose. "Oh." He glanced away for a moment, then looked back up at him. "Seto…"

The brunet kissed his forehead again, then cupped his cheek. "Turn over and lean back to get your hair wet."

Joey smiled and turned, dipping back into the water to get all of his hair wet, then leaned back against the brunet's chest and sighed. "Try not t' get too much soap in my ears."

Seto pulled the wet mass of hair aside to place a few fluttering kisses across the dragon's neck before he leaned back and grabbed the honey-scented shampoo he'd bought especially for him. "Okay. Does the shampoo irritate them? Should I buy a different one?"

"No!" The blond blushed and bit his bottom lip. "…I-I mean, it's not that it's irritatin'. My ears come to a point, so it's like a funnel into my ears for water and stuff." He ducked his head in embarrassment. "I like this shampoo."

The CEO chuckled and began rubbing the shampoo into his hair slowly, taking the time to massage the blond's scalp. "Does that feel good?"

Joey moaned quietly and arched his head into his hands. "Aaahhhh… Yes…" He gasped quietly when the brunet scratched lightly behind his ears and shuddered. "Ah-!"

"Good." Seto built up a lather and rubbed his hair gently, then used his grip on the long hair to force his head around so he could kiss him in a decidedly less gentle manner.

"Hhhn!" The blond gasped in surprise as he broke the kiss, confused as to why it had ended so soon. "Huh?"

"Pbth! Soap! Nasty. Ugh." Seto wiped his mouth in disgust. "That's so gross."

Joey couldn't help a quiet giggle of amusement, hurrying to cover it when the brunet growled quietly. "Sorry." He blushed and sunk under the water to rinse his hair before the brunet could get even more annoyed. When he resurfaced, he turned and began nibbling the human's jaw.

"You're just trying to butter me up because you laughed at me," the brunet muttered, but tilted his head up so the dragon could kiss and nibble his throat instead. "Mm… Do you use shampoo on your tail?"

"Yeah…" The blond mewed. "Have fur there, don't I?" He shivered as the human scratched where his scales met his skin again, then moaned and fell limp against him. "Hmm…"

Seto got another handful of soap and began rubbing it into the line of fur going down the blond's tail, his other hand slipping between his legs. "Should I clean you down here, too?"

Joey bit his bottom lip, then smiled bashfully. "Yeah, why don't ya?"

Seto nearly purred. "Your wish is my command."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sighed and laid his head on the blond's shoulder as he remained slumped against him. "You know what I love the most about you, Joey?"

"Mmh…" Joey mewed and turned to kiss his neck lovingly. "M' hair?" he mumbled, eyes glazed over.

"No." The brunet smiled and nuzzled his ear gently. "I love how saying 'I love you' affects you more than anything else I could ever say."

"Mnyu!" The dragon's blushed and hid his face in the brunet's neck, mewing in embarrassment. "Nothin' could ever mean more t' me than 'I love you!'" He bit his bottom lip before leaning back and cupping his cheeks to draw him into a sweet kiss.

Seto smiled into the kiss, running his hands over the blond's sides gently. "Mm…" He broke the kiss and turned his head, pressing a few tender kisses on his neck. "I'm so glad, Joey…"

Joey mewed again, eyes warm with affection and love, then blushed a little. "Ah… 'm sorry," he mumbled in embarrassment, using a washcloth to clean up the mess he'd made on the brunet's chest. "I'm so messy…"

"I like a messy lover," the human assured. "I don't mind, Joey." He couldn't help a smirk as the blond blushed even more and covered his face bashfully. "Sometimes you're so forward and sexy, and other times you're shy and adorable. I like it." He leaned in to kiss nose quickly.

"Well, good!" the blond mumbled. "Ya make me feel this way. Sometimes I don't know what t' do with myself…"

Seto smiled at him. "That's fine. I'm always there to help you figure it out, right?"

Joey blushed again, then nodded slowly. "Yes." He twisted his tail to wrap around the brunet's waist and laid his head on his chest. "…Love you," he whispered, holding him tightly.

"Love you, too, Joey," the older boy replied, wrapping his arms around him. "I love you, too."


	37. Fire and Ice

Author's Note: Jesus on a bicycle! I didn't actually mean for it to get this long! *sigh* Well, we ended on an awkward note, so there will eventually be a part two to this story. **:| **…Eventually.

* * *

Fire and Ice

"I… can't allow your brother to bond with my son yet, Seto."

The rice ball the brunet in question had been eating was promptly choked on. Hacking up a last few pieces of rice, Seto turned toward the demon sharply. "What the hell-!"

She lifted a hand and frowned. "Please don't be mad. I'd never expected to find a human worthy of my bond, and I certainly never expected anyone to be worthy of my son." She turned her head to gaze out of the window, where her human partner's little brother was playing with her own son; she admired the way the sun glinted on his silvery scales and sighed.

Seto scowled. "So you're saying my little brother isn't worthy."

"I think he's worthy. Look how well they get along." Kisara lifted a hand to comb her fingers through her long white hair. "It's not a question of worth, or even the strength of any bond. It's a question of permission."

The brunet sighed and reached out to gather her hair and begin braiding it to get it out of her face. "I thought you gave your permission."

She waited for him to tie her hair off with a blue silk ribbon before she turned to face him again. "Unfortunately, my permission isn't enough. His father needs to offer permission, too."

Seto frowned in confusion. "I thought you said your mate was dead."

"Like I said, I never expected anyone to be worthy of my son," she repeated, frowning as well. "So I never expected to have to see him again. However, now that I see how compatible my son and your brother are, I suppose that now we _have_ to go see him." She sighed and leaned her head in her hand, looking quite tired. "Let's hope he says yes. I'm certain that Akai will be angry when I tell him he has a son, and he might just say no out of spite."

The brunet snorted. "Just use your feminine wiles to trick a yes out of him."

"…That probably wouldn't be difficult," Kisara mumbled, frowning, as she looked down at her claw-tipped feet. "He's strong, but he's terribly naïve. Anyone of fire is, really—both demons and the humans they bond with. That was part of the reason I left."

Seto raised an eyebrow and placed his chin on his hand, placing his elbow on the table so he could lean forward. "Oh?"

"Yes. His optimism despite how bad any situation was got on my nerves, and he was quite a bit younger than I." She leaned down to fix the way her white kimono fell around her legs. "I worried that he might not make a good parent. Suppose Akino started developing into a bad person. That optimism might not help; while he may hope his son is just going through a phase, it could be possible that he's turning evil. I didn't want to have to worry about that. It's best for Akino to have no father figure at all than a bad one."

"If you say so. Demons are incredibly annoying," the brunet sighed, rubbing his eyes. He looked up at the ice demon and huffed. "Well, I suppose I'll go inform the temple that we'll be leaving."

She frowned. "Let's leave Akino and Mokuba here, just in case Akai turns out to be incredibly angry. I wouldn't want to expose either of them to an angry fire demon; those are never pleasant."

Seto sighed again. Suddenly, his simple life of protecting the Temple of Ice with his demon companion didn't feel so simple.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Kisara sighed and clasped her hands together. "There he is. Isn't he _handsome?_"

"…I suppose," Seto replied grudgingly. "Why are we hiding in the forest like bandits, Kisara?"

"Because I want a moment to admire him properly before he tries to maul me for leaving him," she snapped, giving him a scathing glare, before she returned her gaze to the black-haired fire demon heaving a sledgehammer into large black boulders and quickly reducing them to rubble. She couldn't help a quiet swoon as the ridge of sharp spikes along his spine glittered in the sunlight.

The brunet huffed. "This is stupid."

Kisara didn't even look at him as she gave the human a sharp elbow in the gut. "Let me watch him in peace for a moment, please."

"Gah!" Seto glared at her for a moment, pondering whether or not he wanted to dodge ice spears for giving her long hair a yank in retaliation. When he heard the hurried footsteps behind them, though, he hooked an arm around her waist and dragged her further past the tree line. "Shit!"

"Hey-!"

"You're so busy ogling that you can't even hear another human coming!" the brunet hissed, glaring at her as he clapped a hand over her mouth. "Just shut up and watch for a minute and stop swooning over a stupid fire demon!"

Kisara grumbled but decided not to kill him, instead watching to see what happened with the human; from what she remembered, Akai had never been fond of them.

The blond human set down four bamboo poles, each with a leather sack attached to either end. He looked up at the fire demon and covered his eyes to shade them from the sun. "Aren't ya hot?"

"I'm always hot," the raven-haired man replied. "I'm a fire demon."

"That's not what I—" The blond sighed and frowned, crossing his arms, then glanced down at the black stone scattered across the ground. "…This should keep me busy for a while."

"We all know how difficult that is," the demon snorted, rolling his eyes, then slung the sledgehammer through a leather cord around his waist so it hung at his hip. "Well, make yourself useful then, human."

The blond nodded and grabbed one of the poles, scampering to fill each bag with the glossy black stone. He stood up as if just remembering something. "Oh!" He pulled a gourd from one of the other bags and turned to hand it to the demon, smiling sweetly. "The temple master sent this for ya! He said he put in some fire-brandy!"

"…Making it pretty much _useless_ for _you,_" the demon snapped, snatching the gourd out of his hands and popping the cork out nonetheless.

"…I haven't earned anything to drink yet," the human mumbled, frowning, then hurriedly ducked to begin filling the bags again. "He said I could have a cup o' water once I finish with this."

Akai took one last swallow of the watered down fire-brandy and sighed, rolling his eyes, then corked the gourd again and reached down to grab one of the poles. "That temple master is growing stingier every day. You shouldn't let him push you around so much."

"It's okay! It's not like I have anywhere else I could go, anyway," the human replied, tying off the first bag and moving to fill the other. "Besides, it'll be worth it, right?" He looked up at the demon hopefully. "You said you'd bond with me if I could prove myself at the temple."

The fire demon turned to look at him for a few moments, then sighed and nodded. "Yeah, whatever."

"Don't hafta act so grumpy…" The blond stood and turned sharply, staring at the tree line. He thought he'd seen a flash of white, but it was gone too quickly for him to be sure, and—

"They've been there for quite some time; I don't sense any ill intent, so just leave them be," Akai muttered, turning a sharp eye in the direction of the white flash before he looked back down at the task at hand. "One of them is a demon. If they decide to attack, throw your burden to the ground and run. It will be easier to fight without you there to possibly get hurt."

"Okay," the boy agreed quietly, frowning, then sighed when he found the demon already filling the bags on the second pole. "The point is that _I'm_ supposed t' do the work!"

Akai turned a deadpanned stare on him. "You would literally die."

"…Why would the temple master want me t' die?"

"Because he's a greedy, selfish man with no regard for other people's safeties." The fire demon snorted in disgust. "So glad I didn't bond with him. I'd rather eat him." He glanced at the blond as he stood, then hefted his two poles over his shoulder, reaching over to grab one of the human's. "Jeez, Joey, if you want me to bond with you so badly, you shouldn't try to kill yourself, first."

"Do you want me to carry your—" Joey cut himself off as the raven-haired man used one shoulder to carry the rocks, using his free hand to hold the gourd. "…Never mind."

Akai used his teeth to pull out the cork and spat it into the bag nearest, then took a long swig from the jug. He swallowed and eyed the gourd thoughtfully, then scowled, turning his red eyes on the human. "You mixed this, not the temple master. There's not nearly enough fire-brandy in it."

The human scowled. "You're fuckin' addicted t' that stuff. It's bad for ya."

"If I want to kill myself through drink, I think—"

"It's a long, slow, _painful_ death," Joey hissed, turning to glare at him. "Your organs are gonna shut down first, but they'll do it one by one. Then, your blood is gonna begin t' feel like it's burnin' ya up from the inside, then begin t' boil away. Once you're writhin' on the ground in agony, you're gonna _wish_ you were dead, because your organs are gonna sizzle and burn until finally your heart gives out. It's called fire-brandy for a _reason._

"If you wanna die, just kill yourself and save yourself the pain; at least that way I can see I was wastin' my time and leave before I'm stuck at the temple, waiting for the next powerful fire demon t' wander by."

Akai stared at him for a minute before letting out a disgusted snort. "That actually sounds better than the pain I'm going through now, kid," he muttered, glancing into the forest sharply as they passed the presence in the tree line. When they weren't attacked, he gazed forward again, taking a small, inconspicuous step closer to the human he was helping.

Once they were a decent distance away, Kisara stepped out of the trees to watch them go, frowning. "I don't recall him being like that when I left. He was sweet, and kind, and would always go out of his way to help someone, even if he didn't like humans." She paused, brows furrowing together. "…And he didn't care for drinking at all…"

"Gee, perhaps it had something to do with the woman he loved and slept with running off!" Seto replied sarcastically, then frowned as well. "But I don't like the sound of the temple master here. Giving a fire demon fire-brandy—shouldn't he know better?"

"…I've heard that humans with power can become corrupt," she murmured. "Perhaps that's what happened. In any case, perhaps confronting him at the temple would be best; the priests would be able to stop him if he lost control, couldn't they?"

The brunet sighed. "I'm not sure. I would assume so."

He had a terrible feeling about this.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The standoff that followed their arrival to the Temple of Fire was tense and awkward. They'd seen the human, Joey, first, sitting outside and carving the black stones into vague shapes, a finished pile of crude animal figurines at his side. He'd looked up at them, raised an eyebrow, and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when he saw the fire demon come storming out of the temple, straight for what could only be an ice demon.

Akai's lips curled back in a snarl. "Kisara."

Kisara managed a smile. "Akai, I—"

"Get to the point and leave," he snapped. "You're not welcome here."

The woman's smile faded. "…Akai, I just want to talk."

"Imagine that. I don't. So get to the point and leave," he hissed again, narrowing his eyes. "I don't want you here, so tell me what you want and I'll decide whether or not I want to give it to you."

Kisara sighed and looked down at her feet for a moment, then returned her gaze to him. "Alright. To the point then. I want your permission to allow our son to bond with this man's little brother."

"…Son?" Akai scoffed. "_You_ may have a son, but I certainly don't."

"He has your eyes and your poison barb," she snapped, glaring at him.

"He may have my features. He may even share my blood. That doesn't make him my son." The raven-haired man's eyes hardened. "I'd have to raise him for him to be my son. I haven't raised him. He's not my son."

"Akai, what happened to you?" The ice demon glared at him. "You used to be so kind, and sweet, and caring-! What happened to that man?"

"Doesn't matter where he went, does it?" Akai replied, placing his hands on his hips. "Kindness, sweetness, and caring obviously weren't enough for you, so why should it matter? I'm sorry if my mate leaving me in the middle of the night while I was still going through rut has left me a little bitter. I had to lie in a lake for three days until rut ended." His eyes narrowed as his cheeks flushed with fury and embarrassment. "Thanks for that."

"Maybe I wouldn't have left during your rut if you'd stopped acting like such an inexperienced little kit!" she snapped, eyes beginning to glow.

"Compared to your age, I _was_ an experienced little kit! I told you that! You didn't seem to mind in the beginning!" The fire demon's eyes burned brighter as well. "Though I suppose a scrawny little nobody like me was lucky to have you for even a few months."

"I never called you a—" Kisara began.

"Yes you did. You practically screamed it when you left me during my rut!"

Seto took a step back in concern as he felt the air around him become cooler, shivering a little as he saw his breath form a white cloud in front of him. "Kisara, calm down."

"I _never_ called you a scrawny little nobody," she hissed, hands gripping into tight fists.

When Seto saw the scales at her toes begin to crawl up her feet and ankles, and he saw the fire demon's eyes glow brighter still, he took another step back. "Kisara?"

"Take him and run," Kisara snapped, face already beginning to twist out of its human shape.

The brunet turned sharply to find the other human still sitting, frozen in surprise as he watched each demon beginning to shift into its monstrous form. While he would admit that he had also been a little overwhelmed when he'd first seen Kisara in her demon form, sitting off to the side of two angry demons was stupid at best—suicidal at worst.

Seto ran over and grabbed him around the waist quickly, hefting him over his shoulder. "Come on!"

"Wah!" Joey squirmed as he was tugged upward. "What're you—GAH!" He clenched the brunet's shirt in his hands tightly as the spot he'd been sitting in was hit by a ball of flame, burning the area to ashes—from the grass to the obsidian he'd been carving. "Oh shit!"

The older boy paused to stare at the rubble, horrified; he'd felt the uncomfortable heat as the flames had rushed past them, had felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. Why had Kisara loved and left such a powerful demon!

"Ngh! Shouldn't we—shouldn't we go into the temple instead-!" Joey exclaimed, frowning in confusion, only to shriek as one side of the temple was frozen and shattered.

"Going into the trees will give their attacks a lot of other things to hit before they can hit us," Seto explained, carrying him into the tree line.

"But what about all the trees that are gonna _explode_-!" The blond squealed as the trees they'd just passed exploded from the sap expanding as it froze. "Ow!"

The older boy frowned and glanced over his shoulder at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, 'm just—PLEASE KEEP MOVING THANKS."

Seto was momentarily confused, but then the trees that hadn't exploded from being frozen burst into flame. He began running again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you okay? What hurts?" Seto asked, setting the blond down gently. He glanced at the lake he'd been directed to, then back down at the younger boy. "Do you need a drink, or—"

Joey drew his right knee up and bit his bottom lip as he felt the piece of wood sticking out of the back of his thigh. "Agh… Can ya see how deep it is?"

"Hmm—let me—"

"_Ow!_ I didn't say pull on it, I said see how deep it is-!"

"I'd say it's about an inch and a half, maybe two inches in." Seto frowned. "Should I—"

Joey glared at him. "Don't pull it out!"

The brunet sighed. "What do you suggest I do, then?"

"Nn… Damn it… Start a fire, please. If it's that deep, I'll hafta cauterize it…"

Seto examined the wound for a moment longer. "I think I can freeze it into a burn. It might hurt a little more, but I don't want to draw any attention to us."

The blond bit his bottom lip, then nodded nervously. "Okay."

"Alright. I'm going to pull it out, but then I'm going to have to stick my fingers into the wound; I can only freeze like that with direct contact," he warned, grasping the piece of wood firmly. "Take a deep breath."

Joey nodded and took a slow, deep breath. When he felt the wood being yanked out of him, he couldn't help the startled scream of pain "GAAAAH!" He bit down on his bottom lip as the brunet's fingers slid into the wound, back arching as he felt coldness. He heard a soft sizzle as the wound was frozen so quickly, and he felt tears forming in his eyes as pain became the only thing he was aware of.

Being burned had never been this painful. He should have just cauterized it! This was much too painful! Why did it hurt so badly he wanted to die oh God-!

Pulling his hand back, Seto frowned as he watched the blond's chest heave and tears roll silently down his cheeks. Other than the initial scream of pain, the younger boy had made no other sound, and that had worried him. "Are you okay?"

"'m… 'm fine-!" Joey gasped and sat up, trembling a little. "Just hurt more than I thought it would-!"

The brunet pulled him into his arms and sighed. "…I'm… sorry you had to see that. Demons can get… pretty intense. But if you're planning to bond with a demon, I guess its best that you found out…"

"I've never seen him get angry like that before!" the blond sobbed. "He's mean and sometimes he can be nasty but I'd never seen him like _that_!"

"Shh…" Seto sighed again, frowning.

Kisara had really underestimated her mate. Now, they were all paying for it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"If I'm too heavy, I can walk…" Joey mumbled, frowning. Despite the offer, he hid his face in the brunet's neck, tightening his grip around his shoulders.

Seto grunted quietly and tried to adjust his grip on him without putting too much strain on the blond's injured leg. "It's fine. It's just a little awkward…" He trailed off as he stepped out of the edge of the forest to find that what had been left of the temple had been burned to the ground. A few of the monks were cleaning some of the debris, but other than that, there really wasn't much movement.

Joey gasped as he saw Akai digging over to the side of the temples remains, slipping from the brunet's arms and stumbling over to him. "Akai! Are you okay?"

"'m fine," the fire demon rumbled, voice hoarse and scratchy. He spared the blond a venomous glare. "What are you doing back here, Joey?"

The human blinked up at him in confusion. "…I-I was worried about ya. That ice demon looked really tough. And ya—"

"Get out of here, Joey," Akai snapped, finally turning from the graves he'd been digging in favor of giving the blond the full brunt of his anger. "No one wants you here. You don't have the discipline to be a monk and, quite frankly, I don't know what I had been thinking when I agreed to bond with you."

Joey could only stare in response, stunned. After a moment, he swallowed, tears forming in his eyes. "…But you said—"

"To hell with what I said!" the demon snarled. "I was wrong! We're not compatible and I'd rather kill either you or myself before we ever bonded! Now get out of here before I set you on fire!"

The blond stared at him a moment longer before he hung his head in defeat. He nodded slowly and turned, beginning to limp away. "I'm sorry I bothered ya…"

Akai watched him until he was well on his way down the road, brows furrowing together in concern as he noticed the blond favoring his one leg, then turned to sneer at the brunet glaring at him. "She's in the forest down the road. And don't give me that look. It's better this way. He was never cut out for this lifestyle and he deserves better than being run ragged by the temple master."

"Be that as it may," Seto began. "Saying those things was completely uncalled for, especially when he only ever wanted to make the people around him happy—which, I can assure you, I learned after just speaking with him in the forest while you two were trying to _kill_ each other—"

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_"

The two men flinched, eyes wide at the high-pitched screech.

Seto turned sharply, then cursed, taking off at a sprint. "Kisara!" He was only slightly surprised when he found Akai only a step behind him; the demon couldn't be as furious as he had been with Kisara without still caring about her.

It took a while for them to find her, because they could barely hear her muffled sobs, but they eventually stumbled upon her near the fringe of trees on the edge of the road. Seto went to hold her immediately. "Kisara, what's wrong?"

"I didn't mean to!" she exclaimed, sobbing as if her heart had been broken. "I was upset, and he startled me, and I—I didn't _mean_ to!"

Seto turned his head sharply as he heard a moan, just in time to see the fire demon lifting the blond human he'd sent away into a sitting position. "Joey?"

"This is why I didn't want you around, you stupid, _stupid_ human…" Akai whispered, gathering the small, fragile body into his arms. He ran his hand through the thick hair, moaning again as he felt the sticky dampness of blood. "…You were always a sucker for crying women… No one ever told you not to startle a crying demon…" He turned his head to brush his lips over the blond's forehead. "I was trying to protect you and I got you hurt instead…"

"I didn't even hear him come up!" Kisara exclaimed helplessly. "I just felt a touch on my shoulder and—and—" She covered her face and began to sob again. "Oh! If I'd known it was him-!"

Seto frowned and allowed her to cry into his chest, stroking her hair soothingly. "It wasn't your fault, Kisara. You were following your instincts. You didn't have any control of it, Kisara…"

"But I _threw him into a tree!_" she wailed.

Akai stood slowly, still holding the little human in his arms. He was so scrawny, so fragile. So breakable. He nuzzled the blond's head gently. "I wanted to keep you safe and I killed you instead…"

Joey whimpered.

Akai let out a startled roar, then knelt again, placing the blond back on the ground so he could cup the human's cheeks and tilt his face up. "Joey? Joey, can you hear me?"

The blond whimpered again. "Hurts… Broke… Hurts…"

"Shit! I don't know any water or earth demons near here!" the fire demon exclaimed helplessly. Certainly, there were other people or demons that new minor healing, but this wound needed _major_ healing. Water or earth demons would be the only ones able to do the job, and taking him to the Temple of Water would take too long, even with his superior speed!

Kisara sniffled and hiccupped a few times before wiping her eyes. "I think I know an earth demon near here. At least, I hope he's still there."

Seto grunted in surprise as she threw him over her shoulder. "I really wish you wouldn't do this. It's embarrassing. You could at least warn me." He saw the other demon gently scooping the blond into his arms and sighed, then dug his hands into Kisara's kimono. "I hate when you do this. But I'm ready when you are."

A moment later, she shot forward, and Seto felt the soft fabric of the kimono change to hard scales. He gripped the scales tightly and turned into a more comfortable position, hugging around her neck. He glanced back to find that the fire demon wasn't taking the chance of shifting into his monstrous form with the blond in such a delicate state and was instead settling on trailing behind them.

He hoped Akai could keep up.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I've done the best I can," the earth demon rumbled, pulling a blanket up over the prone blond's body. "The next few hours will decide his fate."

"So you're just leaving?" Akai asked, looking much younger than he had before. He looked so helpless, so sad. "You don't know what will happen and you're _leaving him?_"

The earth demon grunted and glanced at Kisara, who hurriedly motioned with her hands for him to go. "Thank you so much for your help. I'm terribly sorry to have bothered you." She watched him leave, then turned to give the fire demon a glare. "Being rude is no way to thank someone for helping you!" she hissed.

The black-haired man sighed and laid his hand on the wounded boy's stomach. "…It's not fair," he said, voice cracking. "You left me. I wasn't good enough for you. I could have been good enough for him, but I sent him away so he wouldn't get hurt—and then he got hurt anyway. It's probably best that you left, then."

He leaned down to nuzzle the blond's stomach and let out a sob. "I can't keep the people I care about safe. I'm a scrawny little nobody that can't take care of anyone. I'm sorry. I hurt you to keep you away, and you're still in danger. I'm so sorry…"

Kisara and Seto glanced at each other awkwardly. After a moment, she sighed, brushing some stray hair out of her face as she stepped up beside the younger demon. She placed her hands on his shoulders gently. "Akai, I believe that _now_ is the time to talk. Let's just… try not to kill each other this time."

Akai turned to look up at her, and she nearly gasped. He looked so heartbroken, so sad, she was almost afraid he'd physically break under her touch. He… he was so young. She'd forgotten how much younger he was compared to her. When she'd met him, he'd been vulnerable, afraid of the world and all of the people in it—afraid of being hurt and abandoned like he had been as a child. And she'd hurt and abandoned him herself.

"…I really think we need to talk now," she decided, pulling him to his feet.

Seto saw him hesitate, but he felt that the two demons really _should_ talk, so he took a seat next to the blond and tried to make himself comfortable. "I'll watch him until you're finished."

Akai hesitated, then gave a short nod of his head, allowing himself to be led away. "Okay."

The brunet turned his attention back to Joey and frowned, reaching under him to gently run his fingers over the younger boy's injury. "…Jeez… That still feels painful…" He sighed, then plied a little of his power to his fingertips, gently massaging the swollen lump on the back of the blond's head with icy fingers. "You really do have the worst luck," he muttered, thinking of the injury he'd gotten to his thigh earlier.

Seto tilted his head as he took in the blond's expression. He looked… cute. Adorable, even. His face was smooth and relaxed. His golden eyelashes were long like a girl's, brushing over his cheeks like a butterfly kiss. His lips were smooth and—pressing his index finger against the blond's plush bottom lip—incredibly soft. He had a natural pout.

He'd always found something incredibly sexy about natural pouts and long eyelashes.

The brunet paused, blushing a little at the thought. That was terrible and completely inappropriate. Joey was a _boy,_ and he was _injured,_ and…

…And he was incredibly pretty when he was asleep like that.

He wouldn't know. No one had to know. He could steal a quick little kiss and that would be the end of it.

Seto brushed the blond's bangs out of his face and cupped his cheek, running his thumb over his cheekbone, then leaned down, brushing their lips together gently as he let his eyes drift closed. His lips felt like heaven, slightly chapped but still so soft. He moaned quietly, letting his tongue dart out for a quick taste.

It tasted _good._

The brunet sighed and allowed himself to kiss him a little longer, enjoying the feel of the younger boy's soft lips, until he felt the tiny push of lips tentatively kissing back. Pulling away quickly, he frowned, cupping the blond's face as he eased him back onto the ground. "Joey? Are you awake?"

"…Hurts…" Joey squinted up at him, and the older boy felt his own head throb sympathetically. "…W-who-?"

"Shh…" Seto carefully brushed his hand over the blond's eyes, making them flutter shut again. "It's alright. You're safe. We're taking care of you…"

The younger boy whimpered, squirming, then fell still again. "Akai-?"

"He's talking with Kisara. He'll be back soon," the brunet assured.

"He's gone-?"

Seto frowned as tears began to form in the blond's eyes, glancing around frantically for the two demons; he'd never been good with tears. "Hey, you don't need to—hey! Don't cry!" What did people do when other people cried? He couldn't even remember the last time _Mokuba_ had cried!

He bit his bottom lip and sighed, carefully pulling the blond into a sitting position and onto his lap. The younger boy immediately turned and began to sniffle and sob into his shoulder, but was doing his best to keep his cries quiet for the most part.

The brunet sighed again and began rubbing the blond's back soothingly. "It's going to be okay."

With the way Akai had taken care of the blond after his injury, he certainly hoped he was telling the truth. He didn't think Joey could take any more pain, physical or emotional.


	38. Queen II

Author's Note: Someone once PM'ed me that they didn't understand why I'd made Seto so horny as a cat when cats were clearly not as horny as dogs, which hump everything in sight. My dear, just because you do not _see_ cats doing it, doesn't mean that they don't. They're just better at hiding than dogs are because the female likes to play hard to get.

Also, guys, I lovelovelovelove_love_ long reviews. They make me incredibly happy. But if you're going to leave me a long review, you can't just send me one huge block of text. I literally can't read it because of a tracking problem, and I have to get someone to help me. So please, if you leave me a long review (I love them, but please don't feel obligated), use a few paragraphs so that I can actually read what you're telling me, otherwise I find myself reading the first three sentences over and over again.

Updated (07-13-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

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Queen II

Purring, Seto sat up and licked the blond's cheek, then gave his ass a hearty slap. "Good evening."

Joey panted weakly and leaned into the nekomata's chest. "Ooh… Nn… Seto, I…" He squeaked in complaint as the brunet kissed him roughly, then sighed and allowed the brunet to roll back on top of him and hump against his stomach lightly. He wrapped his arms around the brunet's chest and sighed. "Mm…"

"Hmm. You bring out the randy old Tom in me, Joey," the nekomata cooed, then leapt from the bed and sauntered over to the cabinet that held his human clothes (which, for some reason, Joey insisted upon, and he merely agreed because the blond could yell like no one's business when he was angry or embarrassed).

"Guh-!" The blond groaned and rubbed his back with a wince as he sat up. "I didn't know cats were such horny guys…"

"Well, I have the perfect Queen to sate. You seem to underestimate your own horniness," Seto replied, grabbing a handful of clothes and walking over to scoop the human into his arms. "Let me help you. It'll take you forever to get to the bathroom on your own."

Joey grumbled in embarrassment but allowed himself to be carried into the rather large bathroom. "I still don't get why ya have such a big bathroom if ya don't even like water."

"Hmm. My Queen likes baths, so I've learned to deal with them. And I need to make sure my Queen has the best." The brunet licked his cheek again, then smiled playfully. "Even though I'm perfectly willing to lick you clean—"

"GET OUT!" the blond roared, grabbing a bar of soap and chucking it at him. He watched the feline man scamper out and huffed, still embarrassed, then sighed and leaned his face in his hand as he turned the water on.

Living with Seto and his brother was great—fun, even, when the two brothers bickered and then squabbled and began wrestling. Sometimes he even got to wrestle with them himself. It just… never seemed as genuine with him, and that made him feel left out.

He understood why they treated him that way, though. As nekomata, both Seto and Mokuba were more muscular than he was, despite his own impressive strength as far as humans went. On top of that, even in their human forms, the pair still had very sharp nails that could cut through flesh like hot knives through butter. The scratches on his hips, though deep and sometimes painful, were fairly light compared to the damage that could _really_ be done by the feline claws.

Sometimes they'd go on walks, but he'd feel left out then, too, because Seto and Mokuba would wander around, sniffing and pouncing. Other times, they'd climb the trees nearby and walk that way, leaving him alone on the ground. There was also no way of telling when some sort of bird or rodent would pass by that they'd chase after upon sight, and he just couldn't keep up when they were following their instincts to chase like that.

He knew that Mokuba and Seto loved him to death. They proved it often, by nuzzling and hugging and kissing him (Mokuba in a more platonic way, but felines still showed affection by rubbing against each other and licking). That didn't mean, however, that he didn't feel lonely or left out.

He couldn't say anything about it, though. While he was certain that the two nekomata would be sorry, he didn't want them to feel that way, because they were just following their instincts. He also knew they'd try to change what they did, and he didn't want that either. Then they wouldn't be themselves, and he loved them the way they were.

He just didn't want to feel left out all the time.

Joey sank down in the warm water and sighed again, slapping the top of the water idly. He was glad he wasn't as lonely as he'd been in the temple. That was always a plus, he supposed.

…He didn't like this feeling, like he was holding other people back. He knew he shouldn't feel that way, that Seto and Mokuba didn't feel they were being held back at all, but the feeling just came, and he couldn't seem to shake it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto knew something was wrong with his Queen. He just couldn't figure out what.

He'd tried to ask what was bothering him, but the blond had firmly told him nothing was wrong and he didn't appreciate being pestered. He'd tried paying special attention to him, seeing if anything was amiss, but that proved fruitless as well. He'd asked Mokuba to pester the human in his deviously innocent way, but all the younger boy had learned was that Joey got kind of agitated when he was asked questions he didn't want to answer.

Quite frankly, neither of the nekomata had known that Joey was strong enough to throw Mokuba high enough into a tree that he got stuck. That had been an eye-opener.

Seto sighed and crossed his arms, watching the blond begin to wash some of their clothes in the river. His brows furrowed together as he took in the sad expression on the human's face. He hadn't seen him that depressed since he'd lived at the temple… So was he feeling the same discomfort and loneliness he'd felt then, now?

He felt anger begin to burn in his veins. He wanted his Queen to trust him, to come to him whenever he felt sad or lonely.

This was unacceptable.

Stomping over to the human washing their clothes, he hissed, his forked tail bristling as his ears laid flat against his skull. "Tell me what's wrong _right now_ before I have to claw the reason out of you!"

Joey blinked up at him in surprise, then glanced around them in confusion. After a moment, he looked back up at the brunet and shrugged. "…I may need to go buy more soap soon?"

"No-! That's not what I-! GAH!" Seto roared in frustration. "I didn't mean tell me what's wrong with you at the moment! I mean tell me why you're sighing so much and frowning when you think I'm not looking!"

The blond blinked again, then sighed, glancing away from him. "…Oh."

"There! That just now! You can't tell me nothing's wrong and if you try to tell me not to ask you about it anymore and give me the evil eye again, I'm going to—" The nekomata paused, frowning. "'Oh'? Just… just 'oh'?"

Joey looked back up at him and nodded. "Yes. Just oh." He looked back down at the shirt he was washing and dunked it into the river to rinse it out. "There's nothin' you can do about it, Seto. It's not somethin' you can change."

Seto scowled. "I can try, can't I? My Queen deserves to be happy!"

The blond grumbled a little at being called a queen again but decided not to start an argument about it. Instead, he threw the rinsed, soaking wet shirt over his shoulder and into the nekomata's face. "Yeah, I hear that a lot," he mumbled, grabbing a pair of pants to begin scrubbing them as well.

"Blargh! Wet! Wet on my head aaaauuugh!" The brunet flailed wildly, then tore the shirt off his head and flung it back at the human, scrambling up a tree as his tail bristled in offense. He hissed in agitation. "Dirty trick…"

Joey narrowed his eyes sourly as he pursed his lips and picked the shirt up from the dirt, throwing it back into the pile of clothes he had yet to wash. "Dirty trick my ass. I wanted ya t' hang it on the clothesline for me!"

Seto turned his head to look at the nylon cord that other clothes were already pinned up on. "…Oh."

"Idiot!" the blond snorted, scowling, then sighed again, his angry expression smoothing into a frown. "…I… I just… Sometimes I feel kinda… left out," he stated after a moment. He closed his eyes for a moment, then turned and looked up at the nekomata staring at him in confusion. "…You and Mokuba hafta treat me special, 'cause I'm not as strong or tough as you guys are, and I just… feel like I'm holdin' ya back."

The brunet leapt from his position in the tree, frowning, and came to sit beside his mate. "…You shouldn't feel that way. We don't mind holding back for you. I… I'm sorry you feel left out. Should we take our completely human forms, and—"

"No!" Joey exclaimed quickly, horrified.

He'd already mentioned to Mokuba how embarrassing it was to be seen with 'demons' or to be followed around by cats when he had to go into town to buy things, and had been told about their completely human forms. The only problem was that their completely human forms were difficult to shift out of; sometimes nekomata _couldn't _shift back and were trapped in that form. He did not want that to happen to either his… Tom or his little brother.

They were perfect the way they were.

"…Okay," Seto agreed after a moment, raising an eyebrow. "…I know of a way to get you the same powers. Of course, you'd still never be as powerful as a natural nekomata, but at least we'd be on an even keel."

Joey frowned and brought a hand to his chest, brows furrowing together at the thought. "…I'd… be a nekomata too?"

"To an extent. You'd never be fully nekomata—you wouldn't have a fully feline form—but you'd have feline ears and a tail and you'd be able to rough house with us without us having to hold back." The brunet scratched behind one of his ears. "I'd have to take you to Ishizu. She's the only witch I know capable of something like that." He gave the younger boy a scowl. "But you wouldn't be able to get mad at me for calling you my Queen anymore. Because then you'd _really_ be my feline Queen."

The human sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. "Jeez. Well…" He frowned again and nibbled his bottom lip anxiously, then began a slow nod. "Yeah. Okay. I mean, I love you and your brother t' death, but… bein' able to wrestle with you guys without ya havin' t' hold back would be nice…"

Seto growled quietly. How was he supposed to not want his Queen when he was being so fucking cute! Letting out a loud yowl, he lunged at the blond and began tearing at his pants.

Joey squealed. "Seto, wait-! Don't rip m' pants! Set-! OH!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ishizu asked softly. "Once we do this, you won't be able to change back. You won't be able to undo the decision."

Joey bit his bottom lip nervously and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."

She sighed quietly, then nodded as well and lifted her hands. "I'll make it painless. You won't even know you've changed except for the surge of magic."

The blond frowned. "…Would ya have made it painful if I _hadn't_ said I was sure?"

Ishizu shrugged. "Only if you'd waited too long to answer. I wanted you to be sure."

The younger boy sighed and nodded, tugging anxiously at the hem of the long shirt he'd been given, so the growth of his new tail wasn't impeded by his pants. "Okay, I'm ready. I think."

"Good. Here I go."

Joey shuddered as he felt warmth flow through him, beginning at his toes and flowing upward in slow waves. He moaned quietly as the heat gently forced his tense muscles to relax, almost to the point where his legs could buckle if he wasn't aware that he was standing. Sinking to his knees, he shuddered again as the magic paused at the base of his spine, seeming to elongate it and twist it about—forming, he assumed, his new tail.

Once his spine had finished twisting and stretching, he shivered as the warmth traveled up his body, pausing briefly at his jaw. He felt the muscles strengthening—he supposed so he could have a stronger bite—and his eyeteeth lengthening into fangs. It paused again at his nose, and he couldn't help a giggle as the magic tickled it, making him crinkle it up cutely. Then the heat continued up to the sides of his head, and he felt a light tingle as his human ears disappeared, quickly replaced by oscillating, fur-covered ones. He squeaked in surprise as the warmth spread to even his scalp, and he felt the prickling sensation of his hair thickening and growing longer.

Funny, he hadn't known his hair would be affected like this… Perhaps he would have been a long-haired cat if he'd been born a nekomata?

Feeling the warmth begin to fade, Joey smiled; while the change hadn't been painful (or even unpleasant, for that matter), he had always been leery of magic, because even the most practiced magicians or witches could accidentally lose control of their magic for a split-second long enough to do some major damage. His tail started to wag at the knowledge that he was finished, that he was as close to a nekomata as he'd ever be and everything had happened correctly—

The blond paused, then began to pale. Cats' tails didn't wag when they were happy.

His worry was only confirmed when Ishizu covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh dear."

Joey let out a frightened whine and scampered over to the mirror, tugging the shirt out of the way to examine his new, floppy golden tail. He tried to twist it about, like he'd seen Seto and Mokuba do, but could not. It only waved back and forth.

Ishizu frowned. "I… I guess my magic decided that you weren't cut out to be a feline, then…"

"Nngh! I'd rather be called a queen than a bitch!" The blond whimpered quietly and slumped against the mirror before jumping as they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Joey? Ishizu? Is everything alright in there?"

Joey gasped and spun around quickly, staring at the door in terror. "Ishizu, don't let him come in here! If he sees me like this—"

"Right. I'll try to explain it to him before he can come in here," she answered quickly, rushing to the door and stepping outside.

The blond turned back to the mirror and bit his bottom lip. Seto wouldn't like him like this. He was… he was a _dog._ And how many times had Mokuba and Seto ranted about dogs?

How they slobbered, and panted and drooled everywhere. How they would stand by their masters no matter what that master did to them, like beat them. How they were… how they were stupid and a real pain in the ass to deal with. How Seto and Mokuba were _glad_ that they didn't have to deal with stupid dogs.

Joey sobbed and covered his mouth. Seto wasn't going to want him anymore!

He turned sharply as he heard the door crash open, ears standing up straight in shock as he found the brunet standing a few feet inside the room. His eyes were wide, and he watched the nekomata's tail bristle before his eyes as his ears laid flat against his head.

Seto let out a hiss, clawed the air in his direction, then bolted from the room. "Shit!"

Joey bit into his bottom lip as hard as he could and sank to the floor, forcing his tears back. He wasn't going to cry yet. He knew he'd have plenty of time for that later, because he'd need to find shelter and food for himself. He hugged himself and ducked his head, eyes squeezing shut as he tried to pull himself together.

He couldn't help the quiet mewl of emotional agony that escaped his lips, however, when Ishizu came in, gently placed her hands on his shoulders, and whispered an apology.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_Shit!_"

It had been something that Seto had been repeating ever since he'd fled Ishizu's house in terror. Something had gone wrong. Joey wasn't supposed to be a dog! He was supposed to be a cat—his beautiful Queen! He'd expected to find his mate as some kind of too-good-for-you Persian, with the way Ishizu had been prattling on, and what had he found? Dog!

…It had been instinct that had driven him to run away. He'd wanted to stay, wanted to cuddle his Queen because of the frightened, confused expression on his face. But his body had reacted at the sight of canine appendages—he'd run before he could even form the thought that it wasn't _Joey's_ fault. It hadn't been _Joey's_ magic that caused him to turn into a dog.

He'd run from his mate and hurt his Queen. Just because Joey had dog appendages didn't mean he'd changed. And Joey had always reminded him of a dog, with his loyalty and endless devotion…

"Shit!" He dug his claws into a tree and ripped the bark off of it angrily. "Damn it! Gah!" He was usually proud of being feline. Now, he just felt like scum.

Seto's ears flew up as he heard a quiet whimper. He paused, nails still partially dug into the tree, before carefully pulling himself free and slinking silently toward the source of the sound. When he found it, he nearly yowled in shame. His poor little Queen!

Joey was curled up in front of a little fire, knees hugged tightly to his chest. His eyes were red and swollen, eyelids sagging in exhaustion as the silence was occasionally broken by a hiccup or a whimper. He felt his tail bristle a little when he saw the golden ears that were larger and a little floppier than his own, but when he saw that they were wilting to the sides instead of standing up straight to listen for attackers, he felt his heart break a little and the weight of his guilt increase. Searching for the blond's new tail, he felt any fear or anger toward the now-canine boy fade.

His tail was curled up against his stomach. He was alone, tired, afraid. He was trembling, though whether from heartache or cold, Seto couldn't tell. He'd been rejected by his Tom, after all, so what reason did he have to do anything but… look pathetically cute and absolutely nonthreatening.

Seto's tail twitched. His feline instincts were telling him that his Queen was no longer a threat. That was good news; he didn't have to worry about fighting his instincts (which he would have done, because he'd promised his Queen that he'd take care of him, and he _wasn't_ going to break that promise). In fact, his instincts were now telling him that the pup was no threat to him at all, because he was the submissive sort that only attacked when it felt threatened.

He was a miserable Tom, that was certain.

Prowling over to the blond, he leaned down to take in his scent. It wasn't much different from before. He just smelled a little spicier. He liked spicy. And he liked that his Queen was still covered in _his_ scent.

Seto let out a quiet purr as he sat down behind him, gently pulling the blond onto his lap. Joey whimpered again, squirmed, but didn't put up much of a fight. When he saw who his attacker was, however, he let out a long howl of misery and buried his face in his chest. "Seto! I'm _sorry!_"

The brunet's purr grew louder as he began to knead the boy's sides—delicately at first, but harder when he remembered that the magic had made his body more resilient. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Neither of us knew that could have happened. _I'm_ the one that should be sorry. I just ran away like a coward."

Joey sniffled and sobbed. "But-! But I'm not a queen anymore! I'm just an ugly little bitch-!" He yelped as the brunet bit down on his neck sharply. "Seto-!"

"You are _far_ from an ugly little bitch. You may be a bitch, but you're not an _ugly_ bitch." Seto sniffed in affront. "I can't have my Queen calling himself ugly. You're still as beautiful as you were before you changed. So stop calling yourself 'ugly' before I'm forced to spank it out of you."

The blond whined quietly and hid his face in the nekomata's chest. "But… but I'm not a cat, Seto! How can ya still want me when I'm not a cat like you!"

"You weren't a cat like me when you were a human," the older boy pointed out quietly. He wrapped his forked tail around the pup's waist. "I wanted you then. I still want you now. We can wrestle around and chase each other…" He cupped the blond's chin and managed a playful smirk. "And if we tried doggy style now, it could be fun."

Joey blushed and sniffled again, laying his head on the brunet's shoulder. "Yer such a pervert. I shoulda known ya just wanted me for sex again." Despite his words, though, his tail began to wag a little. "…Ya don't mind havin' a bitch for your Queen then?"

"Bitches are what dogs call their submissive partners. I am not a dog. You are my Queen. You will always be my Queen, no matter what you become," Seto stated firmly. He hugged the blond tighter and 'grrrrow'ed, then begin licking one of his ears. His new appendages didn't have his scent on them, and he needed to fix that.

But he'd leave the tail until tomorrow. Right now, he was content to just hold his Queen and lick the blond's cute ears.


	39. Mischievous Incubus III

Updated (07-13-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Mischievous Incubus III

Seto growled in annoyance as he gripped his pen tighter. "Damn it…"

Two and a half weeks. Joey had avoided him for _two and a half weeks._

Seto was pissed, to say the least. He was frustrated both sexually and mentally and it took all of his self-control to keep from dragging the incubus into a closet and assaulting him when he saw him at school.

He was not vindictive enough to spread Joey's secret, though, mostly because it would be a bitch to prove it. So, after the first few days of being ignored (even when he tried to insult the blond and rile him up), he'd holed himself up at work.

He was even more annoyed that he was thinking about that night the blond had seduced him, which was making him both angry and aroused. He was getting hot and bothered and could do nothing about it—at least not until he finished going over these contracts.

Seto jumped as the doors to his office slammed open and reached for the button that would call security on instinct. When he saw the blond kicking the doors shut again, however, he paused. "…Wheeler."

Joey stormed over to his desk, looking even more pissed than he felt. He slammed a small bathroom mirror onto the desktop and glared at him. "How the hell 'm I s'posed t' get up here and have sex with ya if you've got no mirrors, ya asshole!" He gesticulated wildly toward the door. "The closest I can get is the employee bathroom two floors down!

"Thank _God_ I didn't run int' anyone on the way t' the elevator, and hell, Kaiba! I felt _terrible_ sendin' your secretaries t' sleep! Ya know what kind of demon I am? My sleepin' spells cause _wet dreams!_" he roared, slamming his hands down on the desk. "Your secretaries 're gonna wake up confused and embarrassed! I hate doin' this!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "…So you've done all of this… To what end?"

The blond huffed. "I'm _hungry._ I've been tryin' t' get up here for _days._" His angry expression suddenly twisted into something akin to desperation. "God, Kaiba, I'm so hungry."

The older boy swallowed awkwardly as the incubus lowered himself to his hands and knees and crawled around the desk to him. "What are you doing-?"

"You're _teasin'_ me. I'm hungry and you're _teasin'_ me!" Joey exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes, then let out a desperate sob and buried his face in the brunet's crotch, nuzzling the half-formed erection—seeming to be waiting for him.

Seto grunted and grabbed the blond's hair. "Joey-!" He tried to shove the hands clawing at his pants away and growled in annoyance. "Joey, let me—gah!" He jerked his head back with a startled gasp as the incubus suddenly grabbed his erection through the cloth, giving it a cruel squeeze. "Jesus-!"

"_I. Am. Hungry,_" the demon growled, eyes glowing as he glared up at him. "_And you're going to feed me._"

"Shit!" The brunet scowled as he heard his pants rip and reached back to grab the younger boy's wings through his shirt. "Stop it!"

The blond mewed in defeat and went limp, wings twitching in the tight grip. He turned his damp eyes on the human and whimpered. "Please, Kaiba. _Please._ I'm starvin' and ya tasted so good when we had sex-!"

"You ignored me for two weeks, and then you just storm in here telling me that you're hungry and I should feed you? I have to tell you, mutt, that doesn't really put me in the mood." Seto gripped the blond's wings tighter and tugged him away. "Why don't you go bother someone else for a meal? Or, perhaps, just go do whatever you did before you started your schooling for being what you are."

Joey whimpered again. "I can't eat human food for my entire diet—I haven't been able to since I reached puberty! I _need_ the energy from pleasure now!" He clawed at the brunet's clothes again desperately. "Please!"

"How did you eat before your test?" the CEO asked coldly. "I suggest you go and do _that_ instead. Even if I'd been in the mood after your attitude, I'm sort of turned off when people rip my suits or nearly crush my dick."

The blond shuddered. "Please, Kaiba. Please! I'll buy ya a new suit, and I won't ever touch ya again after this, just—_please_—" He ducked his head. "I can't go do it the other way when I'm this hungry. Only children or people havin' sex give off that kind of energy and if I just go t' a park or arcade or somethin' and watch the kids, people are gonna think I'm a pedophile or somethin'!

"And I don't wanna go t' a sleazy hotel and stand outside some prostitute's door!" he wailed, grabbing his hair. "Either way I'm a freaky pervert! And I don't want people t' think I'm a pedophile or a voyeur or what the fuckin' hell else I could be t' be a total _freak!_"

"Some people would think you're a total freak because you like cock up your ass," Seto stated. He flinched as the blond let out another wail, then sighed and shoved the younger boy's face back into his crotch, since he seemed to like it there so much. "Shut up for a minute."

Joey mewed and peered up at him hopefully, chewing anxiously on the torn fabric to keep from speaking. "Mm hmm!"

The brunet reached over to the intercom and pressed the button. "Natsuko?"

The voice that answered was decidedly flustered, and he belated remembered what Joey had said about wet dreams. …He had to admit that he felt badly for his secretaries, too. _"Yes, Mister Kaiba?"_

"Do I have any pressing appointments this afternoon?"

"…_I don't see any, sir. You have a meeting with the new head of engineering, but that's not for a couple of hours, yet."_

"Thank you, Natsuko," Seto stated, then cut the line. He glanced down at the blond still staring up at him, eyes wide and wet with tears of desperation. He sighed in annoyance and rolled his eyes, lifting his hand to begin undoing his tie. "You really are a slutty little demon, aren't you, Joey?"

Joey nodded quickly, lifting his head a little. "Yes! I'm a slutty little demon! I'm a hungry, slutty little demon!" He lifted his hands to grab the lapels of the older boy's jacket, bleating quietly when the brunet grabbed his wrists and twisted his arms around behind his back. He bent down to keep his shoulders from being wrenched out of place. "Ah-! Kaiba!"

"Joey, you hurt me. I'm not interested in that happening again," the older boy stated icily, using his tie to bind the blond's wrists together. "I don't care if I have to _keep_ tying you up every time you want sex. That hurt. Not only that, but I'm quite fond of my dick. I don't like threats and abuse, especially when _you're_ the one that needs it."

The blond whimpered and nodded again. "'m sorry! 'm sorry, Seto!"

.-.-.-.-.

Joey moaned in relief. He was full. He liked that feeling. He never wanted to be starving like that again.

He mewed in confusion as the older boy grabbed the front of his shirt, startled when he was tugged upward and their lips smashed together. He gasped as the brunet gave his ass a squeeze, squirming as he felt his tongue thrusting into his mouth. "Mmf-!"

Seto held him tightly, breaking the kiss to instead attack his neck. "You're mine, Joey. _Mine._"

"Hn-! Asshole-! Ya just told me t' go sleep with someone else!" Joey exclaimed, frowning. "Lemme go-!" He gasped as the brunet slammed him back on the desk, wincing as his wings were crushed under his weight. "Ow!"

"But we both know you wouldn't have gone to anyone else, Joey," Seto hissed, smirking. "After all, you wouldn't want anyone to know your secret, would you? Sleeping with someone else would give me a reason to expose you—to your friends, to the _world._"

The blond shuddered and turned his head away, clenching his jaw even as he swallowed nervously. "…I… So?" He jerked his head away and scowled. "We were lucky t' do it this time. We're probably never gonna be able t' do it again anyway!"

The human frowned. "…What-?"

"Lemme up! You're wrinklin' my wings!" Joey shoved him away and sat up, pulling his shirt up to expose his wings. He glanced over his shoulders and frowned. "…Hm… I guess they're okay."

Seto narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, we're never going to be able to have sex again?"

"…" The blond frowned and hugged himself, sighing quietly. "…My teacher, he… he found out that ya said I couldn't have sex with anyone but you or you'd tell everyone what I am. He took it t' demonic authorities, and… they prohibited me from havin' contact with ya." He cringed and bit his bottom lip. "But ya said you'd tell everyone, and… and I don't want anyone to—If they knew…" He looked up at the older boy and frowned. "So I can't see ya again. Please don't tell anyone, Kaiba. Please?"

"…Seto."

Joey blinked at him in confusion. "…Huuuuh?"

"Call me Seto," the brunet ordered. He cupped the younger boy's cheek and brushed his thumb over his cheekbone. "It would be weird if you called your boyfriend by his last name, right?"

"…My boyfriend? What boyfriend?" the demon asked, baffled.

Seto stared at him for a moment before sitting back down and sighing, leaning his face in his hand. "I have to keep reminding myself that I think your stupidity is cute."

"Well why would I call ya Seto, then? And what boyfriend am I callin' by his last name-? …Oh." Joey blushed a little and looked away. "…I guess sometimes I _am_ kinda slow," he mumbled, frowning. He looked back up at the brunet and frowned, brows furrowing together. "…How would ya bein' my boyfriend make it any different?"

"As surprising as this may sound, if I _do_ have a significant other, I want that person to be faithful to _me._" The brunet crossed his arms and sighed quietly. "I want that person to have sex only with me, to love only me, and I would expect that of any lover I might have. Tell your teacher you made a mistake—tell him that I only wanted you to be mine because of humans and their tendency for monogamy, and you were confused by what I meant."

The demon frowned. "…But I already…" He jerked his head away and sighed. "…What if I don't wanna date ya, huh?"

"Then I'll tell everyone that you're a demon," Seto deadpanned. "Really, Joey. You don't have a choice anymore.

The blond huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at him, then sighed in defeat. "I suppose there are worse people I could date." He narrowed his eyes. "But no one comes to mind."

"…Bandit Keith."

"Guh!" Joey shuddered in disgust, then sat down on the brunet's lap quickly and nuzzled his neck. "You're my lover-poo and I forgot that humans are into that whole 'monogamy' thing."

"…Please don't call me your 'lover-poo,'" Seto muttered, frowning, even as he slid an arm around the blond's waist.

The demon sat up and narrowed his eyes at him again. "Okay, _muffin._ I'm sure I can think of somethin' else t' call ya."

The brunet's eyes widened. "How many stupid pet names do you even know!"

"I got a little sister. I got tons of 'em," Joey replied proudly. He cupped the human's cheeks and cooed at him. "I'm sure we'll work somethin' out, though, won't we, _chipmunk?_"

Seto glared at him half-heartedly, realizing that he'd brought this entirely upon himself. "I'm sure we will," he spat.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"—So ya see why I need ya t' repeal this ban of me seein' Ka—Seto."

The demon in front of him narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Joey, you're still a quarter human, and you grew up among humans yourself. Do you really expect me to believe that you _forgot_ about the human ideal of monogamy?"

"I forget my _name_ sometimes," Joey answered, scowling.

The man frowned. "Well, that's true." He sighed and looked down at the paperwork in front of him. "You really are a forgetful demon, Joey. Perhaps you should take a class on that." He looked back at the blond and narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't explain why you almost called him by his last name. "Last time I checked, lovers called each other by their given names."

"…I called him Cassette-o. Like a cassette tape," the blond explained. "The thing is, in our relationship, Seto's really bossy. So I call him all of these disgustin' pet names to get back at him, and he lets me have my way if I stop callin' him by them. So far, I've used lover-poo, muffin, babykins, dumplin', cuddles, cookie, munchkin, puddin', hot pants, snuggles, sugar pie, tooties, studmuffin—"

"Please stop." The man held up his hand. "I'm already feeling sick to my stomach."

"…And peachy pie!" Joey added triumphantly.

"Fine, I'll repeal the ban! Just shut up and get out!"

The blond waited until he was safely on his way home before crowing, "SUCCESS!" He paused, the frowned, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Wonder what Seto _would_ say about cassette-o? Probably flip a bitch and go on about today's technologies. "…Hmm." He smirked. "Only one way to find out."

He could make this blackmail work even more in his favor than it already did. Not only would he get enough sex to keep himself full and sated, but he'd finally get the chance to tease the older boy. That, in his book, was always a plus. _Always._


	40. Thong

Author's Note: I'd just like to remind you guys that I'll update these stories when _I_ feel like it, okay? Asking me to update one is sort of annoying, especially when it's a bunch of different people asking for updates on a bunch of different storylines. I can only write so much and so quickly. You can ask me if I _plan_ on updating one, but I can honestly tell you guys that I don't know when I'm going to update the existing storylines.

* * *

Thong

Seto was relatively disinterested with his surroundings. Once you'd seen one strip club, you'd seen them all, despite any difference in construction or decoration. They all had the same smell of smoke (both cigarette and—yes, there was the acrid scent of marijuana, along with a few new inhalants that he assumed were new on the scene). They all shared the same dim lighting conducive for making men shell out more money to see scantily clad ladies strip off more of their clothes. He could say this, though: He was quite impressed by the amount of people asking to see vampires or fairies over human strippers.

"Seto!"

The brunet grunted as a paper was thrust in front of his face and took a step back. "What-!"

"You need to sign this paper before we're allowed to look at the strippers," Mokuba explained, holding a pen out to him as well.

Seto pursed his lips and took both of the items, examining the page of standards that the strip club had for vampire clientele. For the most part, they were things he expected: don't seduce the dancers; don't bite the dancers; don't provoke the dancers into seducing you—that sort of thing. He looked it over carefully, decided he could abide by the rules, and used his brother's back to sign at the bottom.

Mokuba yelped. "Ow! You didn't have to dot the 'I' so hard!"

"…Yes, I did," the brunet replied. "I really did."

"Gah-!" The younger vampire sputtered, but before he could get completely angry, one of the bartenders-come-bouncers approached.

"Everything in order, then?" he asked.

Seto could see that the man was a cross breed of human and troll—buff, but not terrible looking. He wondered if their parents were romantic or if it had been a rape. In any case, the man seemed well adjusted. He was glad that the stupidity was being bred out of trolls. That was always good news.

Once the trollish man had examined his signature and his driver's license, he glanced up at the brunet. "Alright. Everything looks fine. Is there anyone in particular that you'd like to see? We have fairies, elves, humans… A troll or two…"

Seto noticed the grimace on the man's face, and he couldn't help a shudder at the thought of troll strippers himself. "Um. Well." He didn't really want to be there. Mokuba just hadn't wanted to come alone. But, seeing that his brother was looking longingly toward an elf with long, silvery platinum hair, he looked back at the man and sighed. "…Do you have any… werewolves?"

They wouldn't, of course. Werewolves were traditionally modest, and took care of each other, so none would ever be strippers unless they wanted to be excommunicated from their packs. And excommunication would be like a death sentence to some.

The bartender frowned, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we do have _one_ werewolf."

Seto raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. "Oh?"

"Male, though. And still a little too modest to be a good stripper. We got him in a private room if you want to kick in the extra money. He does the spotlight thing—where the room's completely dark and the only light's on him and his pole."

"Hmm." The brunet crossed his arms thoughtfully.

He had nothing against males. While he usually went for females, that was because they were much easier to seduce—_fast food_, if you will—and therefore much easier to drink from. Not that he had to try hard to find someone to drink from or seduce. Being a billionaire, people just sort of fell at his feet, begging to be fucked or drunk from. Sometimes, it was a big turn off. Males were good for a challenge because they _didn't_ beg to be seduced or drunk from. He liked challenges, especially because male blood tasted spicier. He wasn't fond of the sweet blood of women all the time.

"Alright. How much to see him?" Seto asked after another moment of thought. He shoved a handful of bills into his brother's hand and shoved him in the direction of the elf he was looking at. "I'm getting a private dance, Mokie. Go bother someone else."

"I wouldn't say I'd be a _bother,_" the younger vampire muttered, drifting off toward the booths.

The bartender motioned for the brunet to follow him through a side door into a quiet hallway. "We have a different set of rules for private dances," he explained, grabbing a clipboard from a table on the way. "For vampires. You're allowed to bite the dancer, but only if it's consensual—you can't seduce him with your powers. He'll be wearing a special medallion that will flash when you've drunk the allotted amount of blood. You can bite him anywhere but on the neck. That's only if he allows you to touch him, of course. He's skittish on the best of days."

"That's fine. I didn't come here for a meal," Seto replied, shrugging. He took the clipboard and looked over the new set of rules, then took the pen offered to him and scribbled his name again. "I wouldn't mind a snack, but eating was the last thing on my mind."

"Well, if you say so," the half-troll muttered, opening a door for him. "Once the lights go off, you'll hear him walking in, and the spotlight will come on. I'm only telling you this because some vampires' eyes are sensitive to light."

The vampire nodded. "Thanks for the warning."

Once he stepped inside, he saw the pole standing about two meters from his seat. He stared at it for a moment. His pupils flashed momentarily before the pole went invisible. He was surprised, almost alarmed, until the troll poked his head in for a last parting explanation. "Most vampires don't like the whole 'pole' thing for private dances. If you want the pole, it'll reappear. The owner of the club _is_ a sorcerer, after all."

Seto hummed and raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known that the owner of the club was a sorcerer. He wondered if Mokuba had known that before he'd brought him here. Because he absolutely _despised_ sorcerers. He'd have to punish him for it later, he supposed. After the werewolf danced for him, of course.

Once the door shut, he took a seat in the large, comfy chair and sighed. It was made of leather, something that he as a vampire very much enjoyed. Actually, anything that was once a live, breathing creature with blood in it vampires very much enjoyed. Mokuba had a closet full of leather belts, shoes, and coats that he didn't even wear. …Not to mention the purses. But Mokuba never liked talking about those.

He hissed quietly as the lights suddenly went out, eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness. He hissed again as the spotlight came on, momentarily blinded despite his excellent rate of adjustment. When he was able to focus, however, he was quite pleased with what he saw.

The werewolf was blond. He liked blonds. While they could be ditzy and sometimes annoying, they made up for it with passion and zeal. Not to mention that their blood had a pleasant tang. Blonds were especially tasty when they were caught in that space between terror and arousal.

Damn, he really hadn't come here to eat. Why was he making himself hungry?

Seto swallowed thickly as he took a moment to examine the werewolf. He was tall, and quite muscular. He was wearing nothing but a pair of denim hot pants and a tight leather shirt that hugged his body like a second skin. And… was that a thong peeking out at him from under those shorts?

His breath hitched as the music started, a slow, pulsating tune that he recognized vaguely from a dance club that his cousin had dragged him to. …Why were people always dragging him to clubs?

Well, at least this blond was a much better dancer than anyone at the dance club he'd been dragged to before. He swallowed thickly as the werewolf's hips started to rotate with each pulse of music, unable to keep his eyeteeth from lengthening and his pupils dilating as if to attack. Luckily, as a vampire, his eyes worked more like a feline's, so it just gave him a better eyeful of the blond's shapely backside.

Seto hissed as the werewolf's thin fingers hooked beneath the hem of his shirt, dragging the leather upward and exposing inch after inch of tanned skin. His body rippled provocatively as he tossed the leather shirt aside, hips twitching playfully out of sync with the music. His tail flipped up momentarily, as if flagging for a mate, and the brunet had to force himself not to leap on him and devour him, especially when the boy began to dance again, sliding his hands up his sides suggestively before they moved down to his thighs, rubbing his hands down them before moving upward again.

The vampire gripped the arms of the chair tightly to keep from attacking him, eyes widening in disbelief as the tail was flipped up again, the blond's fingers plucking playful at the bottom hem of the denim hot pants. Rocking his hips to the beat again, the werewolf tilted his head back for a short, throaty howl as his hands slid up his sides, then delicately moved underneath his shorts. He shifted his body forward, thrusting his rump out as he slid the shorts over his hips and let them fall around his feet, kicking them away in a surprisingly elegant but sexy manner.

Seto actually salivated when he saw the sparkling golden thong. All he could see were the strings over his hips that met and traveled down between his cheeks, but it was enough for him to know he wanted to see more. He wanted to get his hands on that warm, soft-looking flesh, sink his fangs into the blond's throat. Swallowing thickly at the thought of getting just a bit of the blond's blood, he leaned forward in his seat and hissed, _**"Turn around."**_

The werewolf shuddered, froze, then began to turn, hips still rocking idly to the music. He whimpered quietly, and the vampire realized after a moment that the blond didn't want to see him—was terrified—didn't want to be there—

And that just made Seto want him more, because vampires were sadistic by nature. The brunet hissed again, standing so he could go after the werewolf if he had to. However, when their eyes met, both the werewolf and vampire could only stand there, frozen in shock.

Joey was the first to come out of his surprise. He squeaked in confusion, then quickly jerked his head away, cheeks flushing brightly in embarrassment. "…What are _you_ doin' here Kaiba?" He snorted in disgust. "Didn't think a strip club really suited ya," he added, frowning.

Seto continued to gape for a few minutes, just watching the blond shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Once he realized that he'd nearly gotten off to the werewolf that had claimed to hate him, he couldn't help but see the irony. The blond had talked about his pride as both a man and a werewolf, and here he was, stripping his clothes off for strangers.

The brunet frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"…Workin'," the younger boy mumbled, crossing his arms. He flinched as the brunet stepped closer to him, cringing away from the taller, fully clothed male.

"You know that's not what I meant, mutt. Tell me what you're doing here," he snarled. "Does your pack know about this? They can't possibly condone this."

Joey frowned, ears wilting in shame. "…I… I'm just tryin' t' earn money for my sister's surgery. This was the fastest way."

"Isn't your pack supposed to support each other when it comes to medical expenses like that?" Seto glared at him acidly. "You go on and on to me about your pride whenever we argue, but I must ask, what _pride_ are you talking about? Because it doesn't seem like you have any."

The blond bit his bottom lip, tail curling up against his stomach. "…The pack funds only cover surgeries that have over an eighty percent chance of success. Because Serenity's chance of success is only seventy percent, the pack doesn't want to waste money on a surgery that may not work." He looked up at the vampire and whimpered. "Please don't complain about me, Kaiba! I don't get paid if I don't do a good job. Ya liked it until ya saw it was me, didn't ya? S-so just forget it's me, and I'll finish my dance—"

"How am I supposed to give you the respect you try to demand from me when you do something like _this?_" The brunet sighed and lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Hmm. I really don't know what I'm supposed to do with you, Joey."

Joey ducked his head and sighed, forcing back any tears of shame or humiliation. He wouldn't cry. At least not in front of him. Not until he got home, where he could truly wallow in his shame and feel like trash. He knew this was a terrible job for a werewolf, and he knew he was running the risk of being banished from his pack. But it was for his sister, so that made it okay.

He gasped as the vampire's hand suddenly gripped his hair and yanked his head back. "Ow! Kaiba, what the he—eeeeeeeehhhhhh?" His eyes widened as he saw the wad of money being held in front of his face. He turned his gaze to the brunet's face frantically. "Wha-?"

"This would be enough for you to quit, wouldn't it?" Seto's lips twisted into a cruel smirk that showed off his long fangs. Sometimes he regretted that vampires were sadistic by nature when he saw how much he hurt people. This was not one of those times. "What would you do for this money, little puppy?"

Joey licked his lips, which had suddenly gone dry. He swallowed to wet his throat, eyes flicking back and forth between the wad of cash and the brunet's face, before he finally looked up at him and helplessly whispered, "What do ya _want_ me t' do?"

The brunet hissed quietly and tightened his grip on the werewolf's hair. "At the end of the night, I want you to quit your job here." He paused to allow the younger boy to whimper in anxiety. "…But until the end of the night, you are _mine._"

"…Okay," the blond answered meekly, staring at the bills in the vampire's hand. He hesitated for a moment before timidly reaching out for them.

"Hmm, no, I don't think so," Seto cooed, jerking his hand out of reach. He savored the confused whimper he received. "Until the end of the night, you're still a stripper. And how do strippers take their tips?"

Joey looked up at him and could only stare for a few minutes, baffled. When he realized what he meant, though, he turned his gaze on the floor and sighed. Then, he turned, grabbing one of the straps of his thong and holding it away from his body. He shuddered as a few bills were tucked into it and let it snap back in place, feeling disgusted with himself. He frowned when he realized that it wasn't the complete amount he'd been showed and looked back up into the brunet's cruel eyes in confusion. "Wha-?"

Seto smirked. "Earn it."

"But—" Joey bit his bottom lip, then sighed and looked away again, ears wilting in shame. "…How?" He blushed as the vampire's fingers caught his chin, forcing him to turn and face him again. He shivered as the brunet's lips brushed against his sensitive ear. "Nn!"

"Have you ever given anyone a lap dance, puppy?"

The werewolf gasped and jerked away from him on instinct, blushing even more when the brunet laughed. "Shut up, ya jerk!"

"It's not my fault werewolves are so damn modest," Seto replied, lips quirked halfway between a sneer and a smirk. "But if you don't want the rest of the money, I understand…" he added, turning to walk away.

Joey blanched immediately, reaching out to grab the back of his coat. "Wait! I'll… I'll do it!" He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "But I've never done it before so ya can't get mad at me if I'm not good at it!"

The brunet chuckled darkly and turned to face him again, cupping his chin and brushing his thumb over the werewolf's bottom lip. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't expect more than a mediocre dance from you. After all, mediocrity seems to be the only thing consistent about you."

"Nn! You-!" The werewolf jerked away from him, unable to help the tears filling his eyes. "Ya know why I'm doin' this and you're makin' fun of me-!" He wiped his eyes quickly, then turned and stormed away back to the spot light so he could grab his clothes. "I don't need t' take this from you!"

Seto crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you don't want the money, and you really haven't earned it…"

"Fuck you!" Joey grabbed the bills still sticking out of his thong and flung them at him. "I don't need your fuckin' money or your patronizin' attitude! Just—Just leave me alone!"

The brunet frowned, absolutely baffled for a moment, until his nose caught the scent of tears. Cursing under his breath, he began after the younger boy, but Joey had already gotten a head start and could run much longer than he could, even if he was faster. For once, the werewolf had gotten the upper hand.

Seto cursed again. It had only happened because he'd underestimated the stupid blond.

…And now he had to pay a fee because it was obvious that Joey was quitting because of him! Shit!

.-.-.-.-.-.

He hadn't been charged a fee.

Seto frowned and looked his bill over again, making a note to ground his brother for buying so much booze and then taking the elf to a private room. Mostly for the booze, though. Mokuba may have been over the legal drinking age, and he may have wanted the finest booze the club had (which he understood; he was a billionaire, so he had the money to waste on it), but that was still no reason to spend thousands of dollars on it.

He let his gaze travel down to the amount charged for his own private room. It wasn't as high a charge as he'd been expecting. Five hundred dollars… and only about half of it went to the blond…

Seto frowned, then opened his laptop and began searching for the werewolf's employment records. Bypassing the club's firewall wasn't too difficult. Once he'd accessed Joey's employment records, he couldn't help his expression twisting into a scowl. "Fuck, Joey. _Fuck!_"

He was only getting a small fraction of the money being shelled out for him—and it _was_ being shelled out. Everyone wanted to see a werewolf at a strip club, mostly because werewolves just _weren't_ found there. He'd been working there for a little over a month, had performed for dozens of men and women willing to share the private room just to catch a glimpse of him—had surely earned enough to pay for his sister's surgery!

So why did it still show he was employed there?

Seto snarled as he saw who the blond's supervisor was. He _hated_ money fairies. Sure, back in the old days, they were fine; they'd actually had morals then and shared their wealth. _These_ days, however, they hoarded their natural wealth and did their best to take it from others, too. He assumed that's what was being done here. The money fairy was giving Joey just enough for him to see that he'd make more money there than anywhere else, but not enough that he could quit yet.

The brunet hissed and nearly gave in to the urge to claw the picture on his computer screen. Instead, he picked up his phone and called his secretary. "Arrange a meeting with the owner of a club called Toons please."

"_For what time, Mr. Kaiba?"_

"Yesterday," he snapped, then slammed the phone back into its cradle. He fumed for a few minutes. He _hated_ sorcerers, and here he was, making an appointment to speak with one. All because of one stupid mutt.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Well, I never expected to see someone like _you_ here, Kaiba-Boy!"

Seto fought the urge to cringe, instead giving the sorcerer's hand a shake before he was directed to a seat. "Pegasus. I'm only here because I came across a discrepancy in the payments of a… friend… of mine. And an employee of yours."

Pegasus frowned, sitting down behind his desk. "Hmm. I pride myself on treating all of my employees fairly. A discrepancy? What sort of discrepancy?"

"A large one," the brunet replied shortly.

The older man glared at him for a moment. "…Large, how?"

"Large. Just large." Seto sat back in his own seat casually, enjoying the sorcerer's aggravation. "People are paying to see him, but he's only getting about an eighth of the profit. If I'm not mistaken, the strippers working in the private rooms are supposed to get almost half of the profits." He glanced up at the other man and scowled, even though he could tell that the sorcerer was also disgruntled at the news. "He's a werewolf, Pegasus.

"He isn't suited to this job, and he's doing it only for money to pay for his sister's surgery, which he should already be able to afford. He doesn't like this job, doesn't like taking his clothes off for other people to see him. Werewolves are modest and this is not a modest job. He's unhappy here. He wants to quit."

Pegasus frowned thoughtfully. "I'd always wondered… I'd thought he'd already been exiled from his pack, and that was why he'd gotten a job here. I don't want to be responsible for anything like that…" He sighed. "Though I did wonder what the influx of customers was about. Alright. If you just tell me what sort of discrepancies, I'll look into—" He blinked as the brunet opened a briefcase and pulled out a folder. "…Them."

"I'd take a look at your money fairy's bank accounts as well," Seto added. "I looked into those, too. There were some deposits that look much too big for his job description."

"Isn't that illegal?" the sorcerer asked, even as he opened the folder and began examining the papers.

The brunet snorted. "I'm a vampire, a billionaire, and an excellent hacker. I don't care if it's illegal."

"Hmm. In any case, I'll take action immediately." Pegasus frowned, then scowled and stood up. "That bastard! He's been short-changing all of my dancers!"

Seto took a moment to revel in the feeling of smugness and satisfaction that came with the man's anger. He did so hate sorcerers. Being one of the sources of the man's anger was incredibly gratifying.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey hugged his jacket to his chest and bit his bottom lip, tail curling up between his legs to tremble against his stomach. He'd been told that the owner of the club had been meeting with all of the dancers before they went on shift. Some had even been fired. He hoped he wouldn't be fired, too. He knew he wasn't the best dancer, but he didn't think he was _too_ terrible. He had, after all, aroused the great Seto Kaiba. He'd smelled it. So he had to be good, right?

Taking a deep breath, he forced his tail to relax and straightened his spine, knocking on the door in front of him.

When he heard the quiet but commanding 'come in,' however, his tail immediately tucked up against his belly again.

Joey swallowed nervously and opened the door, stopping in the doorway. "Um… I was told ya wanted t' see me."

Pegasus nodded and stood from his seat. "That's right. You're the werewolf that's been getting all sorts of customers."

"Um…" He didn't have that many people come to watch him dance. He hugged his coat again anxiously, ears pressing back against his skull in his nervousness. He thrust his hand out quickly. "I'm Joey Wheeler."

The sorcerer took his hand and, instead of shaking it, bent down to place a kiss on his palm. "Maximillion Pegasus."

Joey blushed brightly, ears flying up in surprise as he hurriedly yanked his hand to his chest. He took a step back and squeaked, "How did ya know-!"

"A dominant werewolf would never perform here," Pegasus replied, standing up straight casually. "Their instincts would not allow it. Therefore, you must be a submissive werewolf. I thought it only proper that I greet you like a submissive werewolf would be greeted at home."

The blond squeaked again. "I-!"

"Now, Joseph—" The man led him over to a chair. "—I've looked over your information, and quite frankly, I'm appalled that you're working here."

Joey blushed and ducked his head. "…Oh. I—"

"I do not want to be known as the cause of a werewolf being banished from his pack. I like werewolves; they're polite to a point and I've always had good business with them. –Other businesses. I have more businesses than just strip clubs," he added quickly when he saw the blond's horrified expression. "I'm a sorcerer, Joey. I deal in magic."

"Oh." He was quite relieved by that.

"So, that being said, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go," Pegasus continued. "I have a check with your severance pay, along with some back pay that somehow got misplaced." He handed the werewolf an envelope and stood. "I'm sorry about this, Joseph."

"Oh. No, it's okay," Joey answered quietly, taking the envelope as he stood as well. He stared down at his shoes for a moment, biting his bottom lip, then looked up at the silver-haired man sadly. "It's 'cause I'm not sexy enough, isn't it?"

The sorcerer blinked at him. "What?"

"Am I not sexy enough? Is that the real reason you're firin' me?" He couldn't keep his ears from wilting.

Pegasus waved his hands quickly. "No, of course not! You're so sexy that one of the clients might rape you! I just don't want that liability!"

Joey stared at him for a moment, stunned. Eventually, though, he shrugged awkwardly. "Oh. …O… kay…" He paused a little longer, then turned and scampered for the door. "Thank you sir g'bye!"

The sorcerer watched him go, a little surprised himself. Once what he'd said registered, though, he slapped his hand over his face. "Oh my God."

Joey waited until he was well away from the club before he stopped to catch his breath. Once he'd managed to calm himself, though, he tilted his head and looked down at the envelope. Severance pay? Back pay?

Opening the envelope, he pulled out the check. When he saw the amount he was being paid, he squeaked in disbelief.

Thousands. He was being paid _thousands_ of dollars.

Joey stared at the check, as if waiting for the numbers to rearrange themselves into something smaller. They failed to do so. He thought it might be a mistake for a moment. Obviously, Pegasus had put a few too many zeroes.

…But it was a mistake he was going to milk for all it was worth, he decided, then began a slow run that he could maintain all six miles back home.

He could definitely pay for his sister's surgery with this money, and he didn't have to worry about being exiled from his pack anymore! Suddenly, all of his shame and anxiety melted away! He'd earned all of the money by himself, so take _that_, Seto Kaiba!

_Seto Kaiba._

Joey stumbled to a stop, horrified. The vampire knew. The vampire could make his life _miserable._ And he would, too. Vampires were sadistic, and it was no secret that vampires and werewolves were far from friendly with each other. Yes, they'd become civil with each other as the world progressed, and sometimes even became friends. Hell, there were even some interracial matings going on—not that he knew anyone personally, because his pack was still set in its ways of arranging matings, depending on the families and pack leader.

But Seto was a vampire. A vampire that hated _him._

Joey whined and lifted a hand to his chest, beginning to shake a little. What if he told his pack that he'd taken up work at a strip club? His pack was still set in the old ways! He'd be exiled for sure! He'd have to get a job somewhere else, and give up any hope he had for mating with a nice werewolf and settling down.

Not even the most socially advanced werewolves would want to have puppies with _him,_ a former stripper.

"What's the matter, mutt? Someone piss in your kibble this morning?"

Joey turned sharply and snarled. "What are _you_ doin' here, Kaiba!"

Seto raised an eyebrow, then glanced down at the blood droplets on his shirt. He looked up at the blond again. "…I would think that would be _obvious,_ mutt."

"Well why are ya huntin' here? There're tons of other places for ya t' hunt!" the werewolf exclaimed, ears twisting back against his skull.

"People still high from bars and clubs may not taste better, but they're easier to seduce. I wanted fast food, not a banquet," the brunet snapped, glaring at him. "As hard as it may be to believe, I _can_ get rather lazy with my food. Some drunk bimbo looking for a fuck is easier to drink from and toss aside than a virgin school girl."

Joey frowned. "You'd drink from a virgin school girl?"

"I just said I was too lazy for that, didn't I?" Seto scowled, then sighed and crossed his arms. "I would if I had the chance, but school girls are too much trouble to seduce, and they always try to hold me responsible, like I'd taken their virginities or something. And even vampires have morals—we don't drink from children." He sighed again. "What I wouldn't give to drink from a nervous virgin. There is _nothing_ more delicious than the mixture of fear and arousal."

The werewolf blushed, glaring at him. "Stop talkin' about that stuff so casually!"

"Why? Because _you're_ a virgin?" The brunet smirked and closed his eyes smugly. "Doesn't that sound kinky, though? Being pressed up against a wall, having a complete stranger kissing you, biting you, sharing something so personal as blood—"

"I'm leavin' now!" Joey stated, covering his ears as he turned and began to walk away. "Lalala! I can't hear yooouuu!" He yelped as he walked into the brunet's chest and stumbled backward, scowling at him in confusion. "Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?" the vampire asked innocently.

"Use your fuckin' speed t' get in front of me!"

"Would you rather I use it to get behind you?"

Joey yelped again as he was tugged back against his chest. "Gah! Kaiba, what are ya—Hn-!" He flinched when he felt soft lips against his neck. "K-Kaiba, what are ya—"

"I've never tasted a werewolf before," Seto whispered against his skin. "May I bite you, Joey?"

The blond shivered and squirmed anxiously, terrified. "No-! You're gonna drain all my blood!"

"I just ate though, Joey. I don't _want_ all of your blood." Moaning quietly, the vampire licked his throat and up to his chin. "Just a taste… A little nibble… A few drops…"

"Nn…!" Joey could only sob in confusion. "No… Kaiba… Vampires aren't s'posed t' drink from werewolves!"

The brunet snorted. "When have I ever followed rules?" He slid his hand around to stroke the younger boy's stomach, drawing his shirt out of the way so his fingertips could gently brush over his skin. "Haven't you ever wondered why people don't mind being drunk from? Wondered why some people _like_ it?"

"Nn… I…" Squirming, the blond whimpered. "But ya _can't_, Kaiba, I—" He gasped as he was spun around, staring up into the vampire's blue eyes. He shivered as they began to turn red around the edges, the strange red-circled blue glowing in the dim light. "I-I—I—" He whined anxiously as the vampire's eyeteeth began to extend, growing longer until they just brushed past his bottom lip. Yipping as his head was yanked to the side, he squeezed his eyes shut. "_NO!_"

Seto froze, his fangs just a few millimeters from the blond's flushed skin. He couldn't help a quiet groan of frustration. The blond smelled so _good._ He just wanted a quick taste, and the sound of the werewolf's heart pounding was loud in his ears. It took _all_ of his self control to keep from biting him now.

Joey jerked his head anxiously. "Don't bite my neck-! Don't bite my neck, Kaiba! No one's gonna want me if I already have a bite on my neck!"

Snarling angrily, the vampire turned, dragging him into the nearest alleyway and slamming him up against the bricks. "But a bite anywhere else is fine?"

"Not on my neck!" the blond exclaimed helplessly. He blushed as he felt his pants being tugged down over his hips to fall around his knees. "Kaiba, no—Please—"

"I'm not going to fuck you if that's what you're worried about," Seto snapped, kneeling in front of him. He grasped the blond's hips tightly, keeping him from shifting too much, then hissed when he saw the golden thong again. "You should always wear this thong. It's nice." He placed a kiss above the strap on the werewolf's hip, then slid his hand down his thigh. "Lock your knees. I don't want you to fall."

Joey whimpered and pressed his hands against the wall, unconsciously locking his knees as he pressed closer to the cool brick. He wanted to disappear. Vampires weren't supposed to drink from werewolves! It just wasn't done! At least not in his pack!

"This will sting a little, but I'm sure you won't mind," the brunet murmured, positioning his fangs just over the younger boy's right hip. He stroked his thumb over the delicate skin gently before snarling and sinking his sharp eyeteeth into the blond's flesh. His ears rang as the werewolf let out a deafening howl, half pleasure and half terror.

Joey clawed at the wall frantically, unable to see because of the stars exploding in front of his eyes. He trembled, whimpered, tried to squirm. He howled again as the fangs dug in more, body nearly buzzing with pleasure. He didn't know what to do, how to get away. He whined as felt the pleasure intensify, shaking against the wall, until the pleasure exploded behind his eyes; he saw sparkles, then the bricks with sudden clarity, before everything went dark.

Seto sucked a few times, drawing out a few mouthfuls of blood, before he leaned back, still pressing the blond up against the wall. He licked his blood smeared lips, grinning as he tasted the tangy aftertaste of fear on his tongue, complimenting the residual sweetness of arousal. On top of that, there was some sort of tart 'pop' he'd never tasted before. He assumed it was because he was a werewolf. In any case, the tartness was nice. He suddenly found he wanted to keep that tartness all to himself.

Easing the blond down into his lap, he tucked Joey's hair out of his face, then reached down to pull his pants back up. "Hmm. Interesting…" He licked his lips again, then hummed, standing and lifting the passed-out blond into his arms. "Alright, then. You're coming with me. I'll figure something out."

Holding the blond bridal style, he contemplated drinking a little more of his blood, then quickly shook his head. He'd eaten before, after all, and had been quite sated before he'd bitten Joey. He'd just intended to have a little dessert when he'd bitten him. He hadn't expected that he'd be so… _tasty._

Seto hummed thoughtfully. He'd once heard that some women could orgasm just from being bitten. He hadn't realized the same could be said for men; he'd never experienced it either way, up until now. Joey had cum just from being bitten.

…He liked it. He liked that the werewolf was so sensitive, and it made him wonder if _all_ werewolves were so sensitive. Could it be because of what they were? Did that make them more sensitive than humans?

Hmm. He'd do some investigating. Until then, Joey would stay at the mansion until he woke up and could get cleaned up. It wouldn't do to take him home in his condition. If he brought the blond home with a bite just above his ass and smelling of sexual satisfaction, the probability of getting away from the pack was low. He wasn't altogether certain what an angry wolf pack would do to a vampire if they believed that he'd sullied one of their own, but he was sure that it would be painful. He didn't feel like regenerating a large majority of his body for a misunderstanding.


	41. Weeded II

Author's Note: Fairies are so fucking cuuuuuute! I love them I love them I love them AAAAHHHH I think I'll keep them. **:)**

* * *

Weeded II

Joey hummed quietly, carefully arranging the petals of the bloom that had opened during the night, then flittered back and cupped his chin as he examined it. After a moment, he huffed and reached out to fix one of the outermost petals. "I just can't get ya t' cooperate, can I?"

"You can't get who to cooperate with you?"

The fairy turned sharply, then squealed. "Seto! You're back!"

Seto chuckled quietly as the tiny creature flew up to hug his cheek, lifting his hand to give him something to stand on. "I told you I'd be gone for a couple weeks."

"I didn't realize that weeks were so long!" Joey sighed, frowning, as he sat down on the brunet's palm. He looked up at the human and smiled again. "Mokuba took very good care of me."

"So I see," the brunet agreed, kneeling in front of the bush. Spying the orange bloom, he hummed and reached out to touch the petals.

Joey hissed and kicked his finger, making him just barely miss touching the flower. "I just fixed that!"

Seto jerked his hand away from the plant. "Ow!"

"I don't go tap dancin' on your laptop's keyboard when ya finish workin'!" the blond snapped, glaring at him in affront. "Jeez!"

The human grumbled, then reached out to violently poke the branch the flower was attached to. "Fine! I won't touch it!"

"Gah!" The fairy fluttered over to the flower and hurriedly began trying to rearrange the petals again. "Jerk!" He squealed as the brunet caught one of his wings, flapping the other one frantically, but could only hang from the man's grip. "What the hell!"

"Calm down. It's just a flower," Seto sighed, rolling his eyes. When the fairy continued to struggle and shake his fist at him, he sighed again and stood, taking a few steps away from his plant. "Joey, look at it. It's perfect the way it is."

Joey frowned petulantly but turned to look at it. "…I… guess it _is_ okay like that…" He huffed and looked away quickly. "But it looked better after I'd fixed it!"

The brunet growled, slightly annoyed. "You're impossible."

"Shut up!" The fairy squirmed as he was set on one of the branches of his bush, then frowned and turned to look up at him. "Seto, some really weird people have been coming into the garden."

Seto grew concerned immediately. "Weird people? What do you mean by weird?"

"People that dig. They… they don't do anything to help the plants. They almost trampled some of the smaller plants. They just keep comin' in at night and diggin' around…" Joey frowned and hunched his shoulders. "I never hear what they're sayin'. I'm too scared t' leave my bush. But they've been diggin' around the irises lately. They started with the daisies first, though." He looked up at the brunet and bit his bottom lip. "I'm scared. I'm still weak. What if they start diggin' around me and then they—they accidentally chop off one of my roots? I don't know if we could handle that after everything!"

The human frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "People that just come and dig…" He glanced over at the irises and daisies. "…Have you met any of the other fairies here, Joey?"

"…I… I've been too afraid to go too far from my bush," the blond admitted in embarrassment. "I'm still so weak and tired… I spend a lot of time just sleepin' and soakin' up nutrients…"

"Would it make you uncomfortable if I asked you to try and learn something about these men from the other flowers?"

Joey frowned and turned his back to the human for a moment, looking at the frail branches of his plant. He had to admit he was scared; he knew that not all flora fairies were nice. …But Seto had rescued him, had saved him from dying… Kept the weeds from germinating with him and covered him with good things like fertilizer and compost. It was really the least he could do to help him, wasn't it? Especially since he could see his branches growing stronger—with that single blooming flower as proof that his plant was healthy again.

Turning back to the brunet, he shook his head. "That doesn't make me uncomfortable. I'll see what they have t' say. But ya may hafta wait until tomorrow. Fairies are most active when humans are gone, ya know."

Seto nodded a little and reached out to gently brush the blond's hair out of his face with the tip of his finger. "Thanks. I'll be back tomorrow or the next day, okay? I promised to spend time with Mokuba. We'll have you in for water and compost sometime." He couldn't help a smile as the fairy beamed at him. "If you make any friends, you can invite them in for water and compost too, okay?"

"Okay!" Even though he got compost outside, there was just something about going inside and sitting down with the Kaiba brothers that made it a lot more enjoyable. He waved as the human stood and walked away, then frowned and turned to look at the area the strange men had been digging last.

After hesitating a few minutes, he took a deep breath and flew over to the irises, perching atop one of the stalks and peering down at the muddy holes. He whistled quietly. "Gosh…" He gasped as he saw a trampled plant and rushed down to investigate, hurriedly grabbing the stem and propping it up. "You okay?"

The flower's weak energy flared for a moment. It was still alive.

Joey looked around frantically for something to hold the flower up, but the gardeners kept the flowerbeds too clean. There were no sticks he could use, and the grasses nearby were too healthy for him to rip to splint the plant to a stick anyway. Stupid gardeners! They didn't need to keep the flowerbeds so damn clean!

Oh! There was a stick! It looked strong enough to hold a viola up! Joey began toward it.

The flower let out a weak pulse of distress as it began to fall again. The fairy squeaked and hurriedly rushed back to hold it up again. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He looked back at the stick and groaned, then looked up at the poor viola. "…I can't help ya if ya won't let me get that stick t' help prop ya up…"

"I'll get it for you!"

Joey turned sharply to find a smaller fairy flittering over to the stick. Landing delicately on the ground, he picked up one end and began dragging it over. "Thanks!"

The other fairy nodded quickly as he dropped the stick nearby. "Let me go get some of my drier leaves! We can use them to tie the stick to it!"

"Okay," the blond agreed, using one arm to keep the viola steady as he squatted down and reached over to get his fingertips on the stick. He used the slight grip to roll the stick closer and finally grabbed it, then stood, carefully placing it against the stem. "Here. You're gonna be okay." His eyes narrowed. "As long as those stupid humans don't come through here diggin' again!"

The other fairy returned quickly with long, thin leaves. He hurried to tie the stick to the viola's stem. "This should work. Humans are terrible!"

Joey frowned as he carefully released the stick. "…Not all humans," he murmured, frowning, as he looked up at the injured flower.

The smaller fairy frowned and stepped back to examine their handy work as well. "…I guess," he agreed after a minute. "But a lot of them are terrible." They stared at the flower a little longer before the fairy turned toward him abruptly. "I saw you talking to that human."

The blond flinched, then looked away quickly. "…He rescued me."

"Rescued your plant, you mean."

"Rescued. _Me,_" Joey hissed, turning back to him angrily. "Weeds were going to force me to germinate with them, so he rescued _me._ Once _I_ was safe, he rescued my plant."

"…Oh." The other fairy at least had the grace to look embarrassed. "…I'm sorry. He just… He doesn't usually come out here, and… when he does, he doesn't really look at the plants…"

The blond blinked at him. "So he just stands out here like an idiot?"

The smaller boy laughed. "No, he's usually on his box thing because his brother told him to go out and get some fresh air."

"His box thing…? You mean his laptop?" Joey brightened. "Sometimes Mokuba opens up some weird thing on the light part of it and lets me jump on the buttons. It makes marks on it!" He held his hand out to shake. "My name is Joey. What's yours?"

"Yugi." Yugi shook his hand, then frowned. "Um… So what were you and that human talking about?"

"Seto?" The rose fairy sighed and crossed his arms. "The weird people that keep coming in at night and digging around. He wanted me to find out what they were doing." He looked at the smaller fairy and frowned. "Is your plant near here? Do you know what those humans wanted?"

Yugi pointed toward a wild iris plant. "That's my plant right there. The humans almost tore my roots up!"

The blond gasped and rushed over to examine the mud around the other fairy's plant. "_No!_"

"Yeah! I almost had a panic attack!" The iris fairy flew back into his plant and disappeared for a moment, then reappeared, carefully brushing his leaves out into precise lines. "And they messed up my leaves! I'd just finished getting them straight and pretty after the gardeners messed with them!"

Joey gasped again. "Seto just messed up the petals of my flower after I'd arranged them, too!"

Yugi looked outraged. "Why even put in the effort when humans just undo all our hard work! Just look, don't touch, thank you!"

"Yeah, but… they do pick the weeds…" the blond whispered, shuddering when he remembered his… mishap. "They're good for pickin' weeds…"

"…I guess so," the younger fairy conceded. "But that's about _all_ they're good for."

"…He gives me compost, too."

"Compost!" Yugi tackled him. "You mean I could just talk to him and he'd give me compost?"

Joey scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah. And he invites me in for water and compost, sometimes, and I even get a little cup and a little plate and a little spoon to use at my own little table with my own little chair."

The iris fairy stared up at him, wide-eyed with awe. "All that just because you talk to the humans?"

"Just Seto and Mokuba. They told me to hide from any other humans…" the blond mumbled. "That's why I wanna help them—'cause they're so nice t' me, I wanna repay 'em. Seto seems really upset about the whole 'people diggin' at night' thing, and I just wanna help him figure out what's goin' on…"

Yugi frowned and took a few steps back, turning to look down at the mushy ground. He kicked a pebble and sighed, brows furrowing together. "…I heard what they were whispering, a little. But I don't know what they were talking about… It's just… They kept using words, and…"

"I'm pickin' up some human idioms. Maybe I can figure it out?" Joey smiled a little. "I mean, I figured out ya meant Seto's laptop when ya said his box thing…"

"I guess." The smaller fairy tilted his head. "They were talking about… about bugs." He nodded a little. "Bugs to make his box thing sick." He looked up at the other boy and shrugged. "Apparently his step-dad realized Seto was getting too smart for him to handle and had special bugs made. I guess genetically? To make his box thing sick."

"Hmm. Well, he does flip out when things get in his computer, like dust and stuff. I guess bugs would be bad too." The blond smiled brightly. "I'll tell Mokuba that I'm brinin' someone t' 'tea' and we can tell him and Seto aaaall about it!"

Yugi grinned. "Great! …What's tea?"

The rose fairy frowned. "I don't know. But they seem to like it. …Seto prefers coffee, but Mokuba doesn't like him havin' so much caffeine that late in the day, or somethin'…"

"…What's coffee?"

"I don't know that either."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"More compost?"

Joey smiled. "Please!" He dipped his head in a short bow when more was scooped onto his plate, then began shoveling it in his mouth again. "Thanks!"

"…You're gonna choke on that…" Yugi muttered, eating his own compost at a more sedate pace. He looked up at the two humans and beamed at them. "Thank you for having me in."

Mokuba smiled back at him. "Thanks for coming in!"

Seto took a sip of his tea. "So, you said you'd found out what those men were doing?"

"Yeah. Well, sort of." The two fairies nodded, and Joey continued, "Those men haven't been back, so we've just been thinkin' over what Yugi heard that one night."

The brunet didn't bother to tell them that he'd increased security so that they were lucky _they_ could go about the garden at night. "And what did you hear?"

Yugi sighed, frowning a little. "The men were digging for something your step-dad hid in the garden. They said something about bugs… bugs to make your box thing sick."

Seto and Mokuba stared at him for a moment, baffled. "…Bugs… to make my… box thing sick?"

"Your laptop!" Joey explained, then reached for his cup of water. "Bugs to make your laptop sick!"

The brunet stared a little longer. "…You mean bugs to give my laptop a virus?" he asked after a moment, stunned.

Yugi frowned and leaned toward the blond in confusion. "Didn't we just say that?"

"No one ever said humans were smart," Joey whispered. They jumped as the brunet stood and strode out quickly, then turned to the younger human. "Where's _he_ going?"

"Probably out to go check the garden," Mokuba mumbled, scowling. He set his tea aside. "Excuse me. I'll make sure he doesn't kill anything."

Joey pointed at the laptop on the table behind the couch, where the brunet had set it so he wouldn't be rudely typing away while they ate and drank. "Can I jump on it?"

"Huh? Oh." Mokuba grabbed the laptop to set it on the table beside them, opening the specific program for him to play on. "Here. Try not to ruin anything."

"Okay!" The blond smiled gleefully and rubbed his hands together, standing. He hopped over to the laptop. "Yay!"

"Make sure to watch for other plants' roots!" Yugi called after the younger human, then stood and wandered over to watch the blond begin to bounce around on the keys with cheerful little tap-tap-taps. "So you just bounce around on these?"

Joey nodded. "Yep! Come on. It's fun!"

The lily fairy frowned, looking around the room anxiously, then sighed and shrugged. "Okay, I guess." Clambering onto the large box, he hesitated before hopping onto one of the large buttons. He yipped as it sank beneath his feet. After a few seconds, though, he laughed and began hopping about as well. "This is fun!"

"I know, right! I don't even know why Seto gets so mad about this!" the rose fairy replied, bouncing about quite happily.

They continued to hop around the keyboard for quite some time, playing tag and just goofing off. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.

This one came to an end that could only be described as grumpy.

"—Can't believe they thought this outdated shit could _ever_ do anything to my—WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Seto roared, feeling dirty, tired, and gross, even as he dropped the old metal briefcase on the floor.

Joey squealed and grabbed Yugi's hand, dragging him off the laptop and leaping into the air. The two fairies couldn't help giggling, however, as they fluttered out the window. "We'll come in for water and compost again soon!"

"Yeah, you better run!" the brunet snarled, rushing to the window to shake his fist after them.

Mokuba frowned and bent down to pick up the briefcase, grimacing at the mess on the ground; the maids would kill them for sure. "Relax, Seto. It's not like they were doing anything wrong. I locked the screen on the notepad."

Seto hissed and stomped over to his laptop, examining the screen for any software damage—because somehow, the mischievous Joey managed to screw something up _every time_ whether or not the screen was locked to notepad or not—

"…Oh. My God," the brunet whispered.

"What?" The younger boy wandered over to look at his screen. Once he saw what his brother had exclaimed over, however, his jaw dropped as well. "Is that one of your firewall programs?"

The CEO nodded slowly. "Yes. There's a few typos and mistakes, but basically… yes."

"…We should have them tap dance on your laptop more often. This is amazing," Mokuba muttered in disbelief.

"…Fairies are taking over my fucking home-life. What the hell. This isn't what I imagined I'd be doing when I went to go get Mom and Dad's rosebush." Seto sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, instead just closing his laptop. "I'm going to take a nap. A very, _very_ long nap."

The younger boy held up the mud-covered briefcase. "What should I do with this, Seto?"

"I don't know. Burn it? Sell it to a moron stupid enough to think that outdated crap could cripple my laptop? I don't care. I'm going to bed," Seto stated firmly. Nothing was going to stop him now. Nothing.


	42. Black and White

Author's Note: Again, humans with dragon wings and tails.

Also, planning another chapter for this anyway, so please don't ask for more of this story. If you do, I will know you don't read my author's notes, and that just ticks me off, since a lot of questions can be answered here and I have warnings up here anyway.

On another note, slight mentions of sexual abuse/rape. But only slight.

* * *

Black and White

Seto cursed as he looked the tracks over. They were almost human—though the toes came to an odd point, and they were interspersed by quite a few feet. It was strange, new, and aggravating, especially because he couldn't gauge what he was tracking. All he knew was that he needed to find whatever it was and kill it, so it would stop attacking the farmers' cattle. If he didn't… he and his brother would be sold off to different people.

Whatever. It was probably just a bear with small feet. Or a wolf with a limp. Or… something he knew how to deal with. In any case, he would kill whatever it was and go home, content with the fact that, for now, he and his brother weren't going to be separated.

His eyes narrowed as he found blood on the ground, and he couldn't help but curse again. He'd hoped to be able to keep the stupid cow from being killed, since that meant he'd be paid less. Then again, as long as he was bringing in _some_ money, he could rest assured that he and his brother would not be separated. All he had to do was cut off the predator's tail or paws and bring it back to the village—

"_Anything but the head,"_ his foster mother had told him. _"Just the pelt, if you can. I don't want to see anything gruesome!"_

Seto snorted in contempt. An untreated pelt would be just as gruesome as bringing home the creature's head. As far as he was concerned, he was only bringing the tail back; he didn't want to bring back a pelt that wouldn't even be made so that he could benefit from it. His foster parents were _idiots._

The blood was getting thicker, smeared around more. It was along the tall grasses and splattered up against trees, as if the bovine had been stumbling more. It was probably safe to say the cow was dead now. Well, at least he could kill the predator, hack some of the beef off the cow's carcass, and hide the meat somewhere to retrieve later, so he and Mokuba could have some protein that wasn't beans or… beans.

He was starting to _hate _beans.

Slowing as he heard low grunts and snarling, Seto began edging from tree to tree. The cow had obviously fallen nearby, and he was coming upon the creature that had killed it and quite a few others. Pulling out the knife he'd been given, he hoped six inches of blade would be enough to protect himself and bring down the creature he heard. It sounded a lot like a bear. Six inches wasn't usually enough to kill a bear, even with the upper hand of surprise.

Seto took a deep breath, steeling his nerves, then ducked out from around the tree he had been leaning against and lunged, swiping the knife at the area the creature was at. When the black-green blur dodged away, he slashed his knife again, just barely slicing its side open. He ducked back to regroup and narrowed his eyes.

They immediately widened again when he saw who his adversary was.

The creature he was facing off wasn't a bear, or a wolf, or even a coyote afflicted with madness. It was… it was almost _human._ It had a human body, human arms and legs, even a human head. What it had that _weren't _human, however, were large, shiny black wings and a long black tail with a barb on the end. Its eyes were round like a human's, but they were a dark crimson, the pupils slitted as smoke was snorted out of its nose.

Dragons… Dragons were a _myth._ They didn't _exist._ If they had ever existed, they should have died out _years_ ago—

"_SHIT!_" Seto grunted and as something dug into his side painfully and swung his knife around quickly, immediately reaching down to cover the wound he'd been given. He turned to keep his eye on the other creature, pressing down on the gash in his side and gritting his teeth in pain. He couldn't help a smirk as he saw the thin slice across the blond's chest. "I take it you underestimated me, hmm?"

The Dragon hissed, narrowing its eyes at him, then crouched down, spreading its wings in what the brunet assumed was a threatening manner. "Maybe I did. But humans are usually so fat and lazy, can ya really blame me?"

The brunet growled in annoyance but didn't allow himself to be manipulated into anger like the dragon was obviously trying to do. "Well with worthless devil's spawn like you out of the way, what reason did we have to stay strong and fit?"

Seto saw the demon's eyes flare brighter at the insult, and the dragon let out a screech that made his ears ring just before he lunged at him, claws extended to rip him to shreds. The human only had a split second to duck back before the claw-tipped fingers gripped his shirt and tore at him. He hissed as he felt the sharp nails digging into his flesh and struggled away, stabbing the Dragon in the side as he finally managed to slip his shirt over his head and stumble backward.

The blond roared in fury even as he lurched backward, ripping the fabric to shreds as he glared at him. "I'll make you regret even _thinkin'_ that-! …What is _that,_" he hissed angrily, bristling.

"What the hell-?" Seto was almost confused, until he saw the angry red glare was directed at his chest. Looking down, he saw the blue crystal that his parents had left him—that he hadn't taken off, ever, even when he bathed.

"Humans _aren't_ s'posed t' have those," the dragon hissed, then roared and lunged at him again. "GIVE IT TO ME!"

"The fuck!" Seto yelped as he felt the blond's nails rake across his chest. He stumbled and nearly fell, just barely catching himself against a tree so he didn't go tumbling onto his face. "Shit-!"

The blond purred smugly as he gave the crystal a little nuzzle, then turned, raising his wings arrogantly. "How worthless am I now?" he began, only to have his purr end abruptly as he saw the white, leathery wings unfurling from the brunet's back. Squeaking quietly, he immediately dove down onto the ground, flattening his wings into the dirt as he stretched prostrate before the other man. "My sincerest apologies, my lord."

Seto stared at him in confusion, baffled. "What the hell are you-? Gah!" He turned his head sharply and squeaked in alarm as he saw the large, twitching white wing beside him. Eyes following the curve of the wing, he squeaked again. "Oh God. Oh _God._" He shuddered as he felt something brush against his spine—an extension of his spine? What—_what_ was going on-! Turning, he could only stare as he saw the long, white, tiered tail extending from his body. "…Oh God…!"

Turning toward the blond sharply, he snarled, flinching as he scratched his tongue on newly sharpened eyeteeth. "What the hell is this! And what the hell are you doing!"

The Dragon flinched, then carefully slid up into a sitting position, eyes still carefully on the ground and wings pressed flat on the ground as he tucked his knees in meekly. "I'm… doin' what I'm s'posed t' do."

Seto whined. "I don't understand!"

"…I s'pose ya wouldn't," the blond whispered. Sighing, he looked up at the larger man and tried to flatten his wings even further. "Where we come from—Aeria—the color of your scales dictates where ya are in society's peckin' order. Black… black scales are the lowest, 'cause they're the color of th' earth. 'nd we left the earth behind with the filthy humans that drove us away. And since black scales are the lowest, ya… ya must see that…"

"But _why?_ I'm _human._ I'm not… I'm not _this!_" the brunet exclaimed, turning grab his wing and yank on it, as if to tear it off. He snarled as pain tore through his back.

The black-winged boy stood and rushed over to him. "Don't do that!" He yelped as his hands were smacked away and immediately lurched backward, then hurriedly dropped to his knees and flattened his wings to the ground again. "'m sorry, my lord."

"Don't fucking call me that!" Seto roared, glaring at him. Growing angrier still when the blond merely ducked his head submissively, he was immediately shocked back into horror as his tail whipped around and smacked him across the face.

The blond tumbled to the side with a surprised whine and scurried back a few steps, leaning forward into his even more submissive position of lying prostrate. "'m sorry, my lord!"

Seto stared. "…Why are you doing this to me? You wanted to kill me. And now you're bowing to me?"

"White dragons disappeared from Aeria years ago," the smaller man explained quietly. "But just 'cause the royal family's been missin' doesn't mean that even a black dragon like me doesn't show proper respect. I'm sorry, my lord, for attackin' ya and hurtin' ya." He squeaked in terror as he caught sight of the blue gem in his hand and hurriedly scrambled forward to leave it on the ground for him. Then, he scrambled back to his original position. Away from him. "I'm s-sorry I took your mating gem, my lord."

Seto stared between him and the gem for a few moments before whispering an emphatic, "What the _fuck._"

"…P-perhaps the elders will be able t' explain it better," the blond muttered, looking up at the white dragon hopefully. "I won't be able t' stay with ya, but I can take ya there. I'll… I promise I won't eat anymore cows while you're gone. I'll stay outta the way."

The brunet turned a glare on him immediately, making him shrink backward. "I can't just leave my brother! What the hell are you suggesting!"

"I-I'll keep an eye on him while you're gone. I won't let anyone hurt him, I swear." The black dragon cowered backward as the brunet roared at him angrily. "I-I wouldn't let anything happen t' a white dragon! I promise! I'll make sure he stays safe! I wouldn't—I would never—"

Seto snatched his gem from the ground and slipped the chain over his head, eyes widening as the wings and tail immediately disappeared. Pulling the necklace off again, he watched the wings and tail flicker back into sight, feeling prickling sensations as they materialized and dematerialized each time he lifted off and set back on his necklace.

The blond keened quietly. "_Please._ The elders will be able to explain! If ya just come with me t' Aeria, the elders can explain everything, and—"

"…Do… I really have a choice anymore…?" The brunet stared at his wings a few moments, then sighed, letting his new but somehow familiar appendages sag bonelessly, hitting the ground with soft thwaps. "…You'll take care of my brother while I'm gone?" he asked quietly.

The other Dragon nodded quickly. "Of course! Anything for a white dragon, my lord!"

Seto grunted irritably as he cautiously lifted his wings; he didn't understand how he could control these things when he'd never seen them before in his life. "Stop saying that."

The blond blinked. "Stop saying what?"

"Stop calling me 'lord.' And stop fucking groveling to me! Get up!" he snapped angrily. "No one at home treats me like that and I don't want to start that shit now!"

The black dragon flinched backward, eyes wide in horrified awe. "How could people at your home treat ya without respect? You're a white dragon!"

"I'm not a dragon! And they treat me like shit because I'm an orphan!" Seto snarled, spinning to glare at him again. "Orphans are useless! The only reason my brother and I aren't sold off is because we manage to work off our debt to our foster parents!" He growled when the blond appeared stricken by his statement. "Don't look at me like that. I don't need your fucking pity!"

The blond bowed his head and flattened his wings further. "…If… if ya don't want me t' call ya 'lord' then… what should I call ya?"

"You can call me—" The larger man started, glaring at him, then sighed, feeling drained and tired. "…Seto. You can call me Seto."

The black dragon beamed at him. "Alright. Seto. I'll take ya t' Aeria, Seto."

Seto frowned as the blond scurried to his feet and hurried to scrape the mud and dirt from his wings. As he crouched low and lifted his wings, he asked, "Well?"

The younger boy turned to blink at him. "Well, what?"

"What's _your_ name?" he asked impatiently.

The blond looked honestly surprised, wings lowering awkwardly. "…You… ya want _my_ name?" When the white Dragon snarled at him, he cringed, looking away bashfully. "'m sorry. Ya didn't… Ya shouldn't want the name of a black dragon, Seto," he muttered. "I only bring trouble."

"I don't care. I don't want to call you 'you' or 'hey' all the time. Tell me your name," Seto ordered sharply.

The black dragon flinched. "…My name is Joey, sir."

The brunet huffed. "Joey. Hmm. Somehow it suits you."

"If… if we could go, Seto?" Joey whispered, keeping his eyes down. He crouched again and spread his wings. "Just like this. It should come naturally to ya. Dragons fly before they can walk."

Seto paused, then slowly crouched down and spread his wings. He flapped them a few times and was unable to help a smile as the blond giggled in amusement. "And this will come naturally?"

"Ya probably won't be able to fly as long as I can, but once ya build up the muscles in them, it should be fine," the blond explained, then began beating his wings violently. He turned to look longingly at the cow carcass before letting out a roar and shoving away from the ground, beating the air roughly until he gained enough air to flap comfortably.

He looked down at the brunet and smiled. "Now you try, Seto."

Seto flapped his wings again, then began imitating what he'd seen.

And Joey was right. Flying just came naturally.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto tucked his wings back and frowned as the blond beside him immediately dropped to prostrate himself on the ground, wings spreading out across the marble floor. "What are you-?" He tilted his head, then began to kneel.

Joey hissed at him, offended. "No! You never bow! White dragons _never_ bow! To anyone! Except the person they want to mate with!" He swiped at the brunet's legs. "Stand up straight! And if the elders try t' guilt ya into bowin' because you've been gone so long, just give them the meanest glare ya got! I know they're pretty mean," he added, then hurriedly ducked his head as the doors to the throne room—which had long been abandoned—burst open.

A startled screech escaped his throat as he was accosted by old but strong hands pinching his cheeks and grabbing his arms and all around mauling him. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!" Seto roared, shrinking back from the dozen or so elderly dragons that had set upon him.

He looked down quickly as the black dragon keened in pain, horrified when he saw that the elders were standing or walking across his wings and tail without a care. He almost knelt to help him, but then he was caught in a crimson gaze that clearly told him, 'do not bring attention to me or I will kill you.' So, he lifted his gaze from the ground—and the dragon splayed on it—and glared at the elders looking at him expectantly.

"What are you looking at?" he spat sharply, even though he realized what they were looking at very well. They were all gazing at his scales, and he could tell they were looking for any sort of blemish they could find. Joey had told him that the elders had enjoyed an increase of power after the ruling white dragons had left and would probably do their best to discredit him.

Finally, though, one of the elderly ladies smiled, reached out to touch his arm, then dipped her head in a short bow, her green scales shimmering with the movement. "Welcome back, my lord."

…Based on the way Joey was bowing to everyone, even allowing them to walk on his wings and tails, Seto had to admit he was sort of disappointed.

Apparently, his glance at the smaller dragon was all one of the elders needed to dismiss him. The greasy-haired man sneered at the black-scaled boy and made a shooing motion with his hand. "Run along, filth! Try not to let your worthlessness rub off on his highness!"

Joey keened quietly as the elders stepped off of his wings, allowing him to crawl away until he was able to scramble to his feet. He sneaked one last peek at them before he scampered out of the room.

Seto watched him go, frowning, and he realized, as the doors nearly slammed on the blond's tail, why his parents may have left the floating city of Aeria.

.-.-.-.-.-.

His brother had been born with dark scales.

Seto scowled. His brother's scales weren't white like the rest of his family's, and it was attributed to a great-great-great grandparent who had had an affair but the child had had white scales so—And then he'd stopped listening. He'd been shown a piece of pale hematite, had been told that that's what his brother's scales had looked like. Seto had said nothing, but he thought that the hematite had been incredibly beautiful, and he knew the hematite matched his brother's eyes.

But he truly did understand why his parents had left now. If his brother had been treated the same way as he'd seen Joey treated, he wanted no part of that either. Joey had taken being shoved aside, called cruel names, stepped on. He'd be so enraged if his brother had to deal with this… this cruelty. He was glad to deal with humans where they hated both he and his brother, instead of just one of them.

Joey had been so kind after his initial rudeness, being helpful and teaching him how to do things. He'd watched out for him, telling him what was expected of him as a white dragon, so he could use his position to his full advantage. Seeing him told to go whore himself or get out of the way while he'd been passing him with the elders later on… that hurt him almost as much as if he'd been told that himself.

He didn't like Aeria. He didn't like it at all. And, despite the pleas from the elders for him to return (with or without his brother), he found his life back with humans more desirable.

"GET OUT OF HERE, YOU WORTHLESS FILTH!"

Seto jumped as he heard pans crashing and watched the blond he'd been thinking of dodge out of a room, a sweet bun hanging out of his mouth while his arms were filled with various vegetables. "…What…?"

Joey mewed around the bun. "Mmf!"

The brunet blinked at him slowly, then reached out to pull the bun from his mouth. "What are you-?"

The younger boy hurriedly swallowed the bite in his mouth, then ducked his head in embarrassment. "Living away from Aeria, I… I don't get a lot of vegetables. I get wild berries and some tubers, but…" He blushed a little. "…I just thought…"

"And a sweet bun obviously gives you much needed vitamins," Seto snorted, then took a bit of the bun himself. He hummed. "This is good."

"Hey! That's my sweet bun!" Joey squeaked when he realized who he'd snapped at and ducked his head again. "But… but if you want it…"

The brunet chuckled and shoved the bun back into the younger boy's mouth. "Here. Do you mind if I walk with you?"

His expression said, 'why do you want to walk with _me?_' However, the blond _did_ allow him to walk beside him, shuffling his food in his arms so he could grasp his bun and eat it properly. "So. What'd the elders say?"

Seto sighed and crossed his arms, frowning. "The elders want me to come back, with or without my little brother. I'm not going anywhere without my brother, but I don't want to bring him here just to be treated like trash—for a matter as stupid as the color of his fucking _scales!_"

Joey snorted quietly in what almost sounded like contempt, then turned to look up at him, a sad, bitter smile on his lips. "It doesn't matter whether your brother has dark scales or not. You're a white dragon. If ya want him t' be treated like a white dragon, everyone will follow your orders. All ya hafta do is tell Mokuba t' tell ya if anyone treats him the wrong way, and you can punish that person. What color his scales are don't matter because _your_ scales are white."

"Does that count for you as well? If I asked for them to treat you at least decently," the white dragon began, frowning, only to jerk backward as the smaller man immediately turned toward him.

The blond whined. "Please don't do that. I know ya don't know how our society works but _please_ don't try t' do that. That'll just make it worse for me no matter how much ya want it t' work. I'm _not_ equal. I'm dirt. I'm worthless. It's always been that way for black dragons. Just… You can stretch the rules for your brother, for your kin, but not for _me._"

Seto scowled. "And just why not?"

"…Because I have black scales, and black scales are meant to be the bottom rung." He shifted the food in his arms. "I'll go look after your brother now. If I stay here any longer, the other dragons make think they get t' push me around again because I don't have a matin' gem," he muttered.

The brunet frowned. "Mating gem? You said that before. Why is it called a mating gem?"

Joey blinked up at him in confusion before he realized that the older boy may have no idea what he was talking about. "Oh. Um… It's called a matin' gem because it… When ya find someone ya like, ya trade matin' gems to show you're mated with each other. I don't have one, so… I-I can't have a mate, but… I can be used." He turned his gaze away awkwardly. "…So I don't stay here, and I steal human's cattle t' eat. I'll go watch over your brother now, though, okay?"

"…Okay," the brunet answered after a moment. "Thank you for watching my brother while I'm gone." His heart thumped in his throat when the younger boy smiled at him so sweetly despite the pain he'd had to deal with, seemingly pleased with just being thanked by a white dragon. He wanted to do something about it so badly… But he realized that Joey wouldn't accept it.

He watched the blond leave, frowning, and sighed, crossing his arms, then shook his head sadly. _'If you're so intent to avoid the rest of the dragon society, then why should I want to be with them either? What do you know that I don't, Joey?'_

.-.-.-.-.-.

A few days later, while he was in the library, he knew. He knew what Joey had already known, and it broke his heart even more.

He'd seen red-brown eyes, first, red-brown eyes full of emotion and life. He'd thought it had been Joey at first, and he'd been happy, because all of the people he was surrounded by were stuffy and polite and… boring. So he was disappointed by the fact that the eyes were set in a girl's pale face framed by brown hair. Her scales were gray, so he labeled her middle-class.

But there was just… something about those eyes…

Seto stepped up beside her as she reached up for a book just out of her reach. He pulled the book down for her and raised an eyebrow when she didn't immediately bow in gratitude. When she blushed and hurriedly bowed, sputtering thanks, he chuckled, realizing she'd been too confused to grasp that it was _he_ who had gotten it for her. "You're welcome."

She took the book and blushed a little more. "Th-thank you. I…" She cleared her throat. "Thank you." She bowed again. "My name is Serenity."

"Serenity. That's a lovely name." The white dragon stared at her a moment longer before asking, "Do you know the black dragon? The one that doesn't stay here, that lives down on earth. Are you related to him?"

Serenity shook her head, baffled. "No. I had an older brother, once," she answered slowly. "But he was born with black scales, so my grandparents drowned him at birth while my parents were sleeping." Seeing the older man's stricken expression, she managed a sad smile. "I know. It's sad. The black dragon you're talking about, well.. he was sent away before I was old enough to remember seeing him. I was never allowed to meet him anyway," she added quietly.

"Serenity! Get your fuckin' book so we can go!"

The two turned sharply, and Seto felt icicles stab up his spine when he saw the older man with graying blond hair. His nose flared as he took in the bitter scent of alcohol, and he was terrified to realize that, with his sense of smell so much better now, he could smell sex and booze on the man over anything else.

He was even more horrified by the fact that he could see some of the curves of Joey's face in the older man's. Joey was Serenity's older brother, and Serenity had no idea. She thought her older brother was dead.

And that was when he realized that there was another reason other than unwanted advances that Joey didn't want to stay in Aeria. He was ashamed of himself, and he didn't want his sister to be related to something as worthless as him.

He didn't like Aeria. He didn't like it at all. But his brother had a better chance here. They could eat some decent meals here, get stronger, and then leave again. Joey could survive outside of Aeria. And with their mating gems working to stifle their dragon blood, making them appear human, Seto was certain that they could survive as gypsies if they had to.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked up as he heard the sound of wings beating the air and couldn't help a smile as he saw the white dragon descending nearby. "I took some of that cow to your brother and left it outside. It lasted him days!"

"Right. Listen, Joey, I—What are you _doing?_" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow when he realized that the blond was naked and his pants were hanging from a tree branch.

The blond blushed and covered himself with his wings. "Oh. M-my pants were dirty, so I washed 'em, and, well—" He gasped as the white dragon gently grasped his wings and pulled them open, blushing darker as the brunet looked his body up and down. "S-Seto-?"

"…You don' t need to hide yourself from me," the brunet assured quietly. He cupped the black's dragon's cheek. "I like your scales. They're lovely. And I like _you._"

Joey blushed even more. "Oh… But ya really shouldn't, my l—Seto—and—"

Seto scowled sternly. "Your sister says you were drowned at birth."

"Oh." The blond jerked his head away quickly, cheeks still rosy even as his eyes were turned toward the ground in shame. "…They… they say that, but… I was sent to my uncle, another black dragon. He raised me, and then… when he died… I just left. They treated me like shit anyway. I didn't see a point in stayin'."

He whimpered in confusion as the brunet cupped his cheeks. "Why are ya doin' this? You're a white dragon. Ya shouldn't even be seen with me, and… and you're talkin' t' me? You're _touchin'_ me!"

Seto snorted. "I already told you. I like you."

"…But…" The blond swallowed, both confused and disbelieving. "You shouldn't! Ya shouldn't even talk t' me! My dirt's gonna rub off on ya, and—" He squealed as the white dragon dipped his head to give him a quick peck on the lips and jerked backward, stumbling over a stick and tumbling back into the creek. "Gah!"

He looked so pathetically cute like that, soaking wet and looking so confused by what happened that he could only sit in the water and blink adorably. The brunet purred quietly and advanced toward him. "You look pretty clean to me."

Joey keened to himself quietly, eyes widening as the brunet began to kneel between his legs. "You—I—Wha—" He scrambled desperately for an idea to keep the white dragon from doing something he'd regret—that something being himself. Luckily, he remembered what he'd been talking about just before the brunet had come onto him. "Your brother!"

Seto stared at him for a moment, baffled as to how his brother had anything to do with what he had planned for the little black dragon. When he remembered that he'd been gone a few days, however, he realized he needed to get home, if only to keep his brother from thinking he'd been murdered by whatever had killed all of the cattle that had gone missing. …Not to mention that his foster parents might try to sell him off thinking that the elder brother wouldn't come back and raise an unholy fuss.

"…Is he okay?" he asked, sighing, as he stood up straight. He offered the blond his hand to help him up.

Joey jerked his gaze away quickly even as he hesitantly slid his hand into the older man's. "Your brother worried while ya were gone, but he figured the meat I left was from ya, so he's still waitin' for ya t' come back." He gasped as he was yanked up swiftly. "Oh!"

The white dragon sighed again, feeling a little ashamed of leaving his brother for so long. "Right."

The blond frowned. "Oh. And… it… The people he lives with. Those humans 've been talkin' to a really shifty man."

"Tch. They're probably trying to sell Mokuba off since I haven't been seen or heard from," Seto began, face twisting in disgust. After a moment, though, he frowned and turned to the blond. "…A… shifty man, you said?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, with gray hair and a funny lookin' thing on his lip." He held his finger up over his upper lip. "Looked like hair. Do all humans have hair on their faces?"

…It only struck Seto then that none of the dragons he'd seen had ever had facial hair. …Facial hair…

"Gray hair and a moustache!" Seto exclaimed in disbelief. "The shifty man had gray hair and a moustache?"

Joey turned to blink up at him, frowning. "…Y-yes…"

"Fuck! Fuck infinity!" the brunet roared, throwing his hands up as he turned to run back to his human home. "Damn it! Fuck! _DAMN IT!_"

The black dragon continued to blink as other man used his mating gem to revert to a human form. "…Did I say somethin' wrong?" he asked quietly, frowning in concern. After a moment, he hurried to put his still damp pants back on before he flapped his wings and took to the air so that he could get to the village as well.

Well, that was the plan, until he heard the sound of a child's terrified scream.

Twisting in midair, he blinked again as he stared down at the forest below him until he heard the scream again. He zoned in on where it came from and began flying toward it quickly. He carefully peered past all of the branches to find the child that had screamed.

Joey yelped as he found the child—Mokuba—running through the forest, and he hurried to catch up with him. _'What are you running from? What's going on?'_ His wings vibrated as the air shook with a roar that made his ears hurt, and he turned sharply in horror to find a huge brown bear chasing him. _'Fuck! Is this what they were talking to the moustache-man about? Humans are __**terrible!**__'_

Flying up a little, Joey tucked his wings to his body in a sharp dive, scraping through the branches wildly as he slammed into the bear with a roar of his own. He had the element of surprise on his side; the bear was too stunned by his attack to do any damage before he began tearing at its throat with his claws.

Joey squealed as the bear threw him away, wheezing as the breath was knocked out of him when he hit the ground. "Jeez…! What are you!" he roared, glaring at the bear angrily, then snarled and leapt on it with renewed vigor, tearing at it and beating it with his poison barb.

Eventually, the bear fell. He glared at it, panting, then immediately turned to Mokuba, who had taken to hiding in the bushes. Despite his better judgment, since he _was_ covered with blood, Joey went over and knelt in front of him, pulling the boy into a tight hug to hopefully comfort him.

Mokuba screamed and tried to pull away, beating frantically on his shoulders, but the blond refused to release him. He struggled a little longer, mind still trying to comprehend what had happened, until he realized that the blond had saved him, was holding him—didn't seem to be planning on killing him and eating his remains. Sobbing in relief, he hugged the strange creature holding him, crying quietly into his chest.

Joey smiled as he heard some whimpers for his brother, glad that he was now able to tell him that his brother was fine. Leaning back, he made sure the boy saw his smile before he began to speak.

Mokuba sniffled and looked up at him, wiping his eyes with his grubby sleeve. He saw the blond's mouth curve into a smile that surprisingly made him feel better, and he managed a small smile of his own as he peeked up at the strange creature's face. When he saw the man's mouth open, he expected to hear something kind, or comforting, but was instead confused to hear a long, low keen that almost sounded as if he was… in pain?

Joey let out another wail and turned, knocking his attacker away quickly. Perhaps he hadn't entirely killed the bear-! He whined in confusion as he found the shifty man he'd seen Mokuba's foster-parents talking with behind him, wielding a knife that was dripping with what he could only assume was his blood. He took a step back in confusion. Perhaps the man hadn't seen he wasn't a threat? That he might be just as dangerous as the bear?

He smiled awkwardly, trying to show he wasn't a threat. When the man only continued to glare at him, eyes glittering with some strange sort of greed, however, his smile began to fade. Turning his head to look at the damage already caused, mewed when he saw the blood dribbling down his back. It was like the man had tried to chop his wing _off_, and—

Joey shrieked as the man leapt on him and shoved him to the ground, clawing at the dirt in confusion as he felt the knife hacking at his wing again. "No! Get off! What are you—_GAAAAHHHHHHH!_" He screamed and tried to beat him off with his uninjured wing, unable to do anything but bat at him awkwardly with his hands. "Stop it! That hurts! _NO!_"

Mokuba could only watch in horror for a few moments, stunned. When he realized what was happening, though, he let out an angry roar and lunged forward, shoving the older man off of his rescuer. "Stop hurting him!"

The pain stopped for a moment, giving the blond enough time to turn and slam his claws into the man's neck, ripping the flesh open with a wet splatter. The man sputtered, choked, and gasped, falling to his knees. Joey keened at him half in pain and half in anger, watching the life fade from the human's eyes as blood sprayed from his lips with his last breaths.

Once he saw that the man was dead, however, he whined and turned to scamper away, flapping his wings to try and escape. He wailed again when his injured wing made a sickening crunching sound. _'Humans are awful! __**Awful!**__'_

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mokuba! Mokuba!"

Mokuba turned sharply, eyes filling with more tears of relief as he recognized the voice calling him. "Seto!"

"Mokuba?"

As soon as his brother appeared through the pushes, the younger boy sobbed and ran into his arms. "Seto! I thought you were dead!"

"No, I just had something I had to look into," Seto replied, holding him tightly. Seeing some blood on the younger boy's shirt, he immediately yanked him to arms' length so he could check him for injuries. "Are you okay? Where are you hurt?"

Mokuba squirmed a little. "I'm not hurt-! I'm fine! Some weird thing saved me!"

"Weird thing? Saved you?" Taking a moment to examine their surroundings more carefully, the brunet squeaked as he saw the bear and Gozaburo on the ground, both covered in blood. "What is-?"

"A man—I think it was a man—he attacked the bear! Gozaburo was using me as bait to bring it to him!" the younger boy explained breathlessly. "He had blond hair! And it was really weird—he had black wings on his back! And a tail!" He held his arms back as if they were wings. "And then Gozaburo came and tried to cut one of his wings off, so he ripped out Gozaburo's throat and ran away!" He gasped and looked up at his older brother in terror. "There was so much blood—and he was moving funny! Seto, I think he's hurt! We have to go help him!"

Seto glanced down at the trail of blood leading away from the area and frowned. "Somehow, I don't think it will be difficult to find him."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned as he saw the wing dragging awkwardly behind the blond as he continued to move away from where he'd been attacked. He was crawling, now, but that was mostly because his wing kept banging on things when he was upright.

"Mokuba, stay back here," he ordered softly.

Mokuba nodded and huddled further back so he wouldn't frighten the obviously disturbed blond. "Okay."

The brunet began toward the dragon slowly, lifting his hands to hopefully convey that he didn't mean any harm. "Joey? I'm going to help you, okay?"

Joey looked up at him sharply, eyes wide with terror. _'Human! But I know this human-! Don't I? He looks familiar! But humans are bad! Humans try to hack my wings off! No! If he touches me he'll hurt me! He'll rip me to pieces!'_

Seto reached out to gently touch his injured wing. "We need to get this cleaned and bandaged—"

"_NO!_" The blond lunged away, eyes darting around wildly. He yowled as the human began toward him and dodged his hand again. "Get away! _Get away!_ _NO!_"

When the brunet continued to try toward him, he snarled and dodged his hands, flapping his wings violently. He grunted as his injured wing crunched with each agonizing flap, choking back his whimpers of pain, until he finally got airborne and hovered over the trees. His wing continued to crunch, making him whine in the back of his throat, until it suddenly gave.

He squealed as he plummeted down to crash back into the trees, yelping with each branch and limb he bashed into on the way back down to the ground.

Seto could only gape in reaction. "…What the hell?"

"Now he's even more hurt! Come on, Seto! This time he's hurt because of us!" Mokuba exclaimed, pulling on his brother's arm. "It wasn't that far away! We can get there in ten minutes! Come on!"

The brunet nodded and hurried after him. "Alright, I'm coming!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Bear meat isn't that bad."

Seto shrugged and pulled a hunk of skewered meat from the fire, testing it gingerly with his fingers. "I would have expected a little more disbelief from you about all this."

"Mmph." Mokuba took a bite of his meat and turned to look at his silvery scales. "…Hmm. I guess I'm not really surprised."

The brunet was immediately annoyed; _he_ had been surprised and terrified, and his little brother wasn't even really surprised? "What?"

"I've always sort of known I was different," the younger boy explained, picking some of the crispy skin off and chewing on it. "That there was something about me that I just _couldn't_ fit in."

"…Hmm." Seto was still annoyed. But he supposed he understood.

Turning to look into the cave they'd found the blond had crawled to, he sighed quietly, then stood and began inside, making sure to spread his wings to show he wasn't a human. "Joey?"

Joey turned to look up at him, eyes still wide and frightened, until he saw the pearly white wings shining in the dim light. Swallowing thickly, he managed the cracked squeak of, "Yeah?"

"…I've brought you some food," Seto told him quietly, squatting beside him. "It's meat. I cooked it…"

"You shouldn't cook for me," the blond muttered, frowning, as he looked away.

The white dragon scowled and grabbed his hair to yank him around to face him. "Joey, I'll cook for you if I want to. You're injured. I want to cook for you. Is that good enough for you?"

Joey flinched and bit his bottom lip, nodding quickly. "Yes." He fumbled for the meat as it was shoved into his hands, then glanced aside, unable to help feeling he was putting the older man out. "…Why do ya wanna help me? Why are ya so nice to me? You should… you should be treating me the worst."

Seto turned to glare at him, but his scathing look faded when he saw how small and sad he looked, the bandages wrapped tightly around the base of his injured wing tinted a light pink. Sighing, he reached out to touch his shoulder. "I'll treat you however I want. I'm a white dragon. Isn't that good enough for you?"

The blond frowned. "No."

"…" It took all he had not to grab the younger boy by the shoulders and shake him. Sighing quietly, he rolled his eyes, then sat down beside him. "Joey? Do you know what else is black?"

The younger man huffed sadly. "Darkness and despair?"

Seto turned a sharp glare on him. "_No._ I was talking about the night sky."

"Oh." Joey blushed a little. He hadn't realized it had been a serious question.

The brunet glared at him a little longer. "You know what else is white?"

The blond took a deep breath.

"That I'm thinking of right now."

The deep breath was immediately exhaled.

"I thought so." Seto sighed and reached out to cup the blond's cheek, deciding to ignore the nervous flinch he received for the action. "What I'm thinking about are stars. Stars are white. They get along with the night sky just fine, don't you think? After all… the stars wouldn't be white without the black there to make them stand out."

Joey frowned and looked down at the meat in his hands, picking at some of the skin. "…I guess…" He gasped as he felt something soft brush his cheek and jerked away quickly, blushing brightly when he realized the brunet had kissed him. "Wha-!"

"…Because I'm a white dragon and I wanted to," the brunet whispered, leaning into kiss the corner of his mouth.

The blond could only stare, eyes wide as he watched the white dragon stand and dust himself off. He left the cave with only a short half-smile thrown back at him, and he heard the brunet begin speaking with his brother.

Joey blushed a little more and looked down at the meat he was still holding, flattered, stunned, and very confused. He'd always heard that white dragons were so far above him, that they were royal and elegant and graceful, and… Seto didn't really act that way. He swore when he was angry and he still had trouble with his dragon appendages.

And he kept kissing and touching him. From what he'd heard, white dragons were pretty uptight about displays of affection, so…

…Seto was just as big a freak as he was.

Joey gasped at the thought, already feeling ashamed for thinking such a thing, when he realized that… the white dragon probably didn't even care. If there was one thing about white dragons that he displayed completely, it was that he really didn't care what others thought about him.

Unable to help a nervous giggle, he bit into the meat, enjoying the pleasant crunch. He wasn't sure what to think of Seto, or what to think of his little brother. But, somehow… he knew he wouldn't mind spending time with them. At least until they returned to Aeria. Then he'd be back on his own.

But he was okay with that. He was alone a lot anyway.


	43. Thong II

Author's Note: I know that I have "Mr. Kaiba" and "Kaiba-san." That's because Joey is part of a Japanese werewolf pack. They use their terms of address quite seriously. So while sometimes Seto's secretaries may call him "Mr. Kaiba," werewolves will always address each other by -san, -kun, -sama, and so on. Oh, and only the Alpha of the pack is actually addressed by '-sama,' and only as Alpha-sama by his packmates. Only certain people are allowed to address him by his given name/last name—those people being his mate or his parents. Seriously, he's lucky his parents don't still call him shnookums. :| Hopefully this will clear up any confusion.

Updated (07-29-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Thong II

"—and then he kissed my palm! I didn't even know vampires knew how submissive werewolves were greeted!"

Joey stood up straight from folding his clothes immediately, eyes wide as he turned to look at the two squealing girls. Why were they squealing about getting greeted by a vampire? He himself still felt a little ashamed, and—He hated Laundromats. He wouldn't have to deal with other people if they had a washer and dryer at home. Then he wouldn't have to listen to girls squealing about taboo things!

"What did he want with you? Was he just greeting you?"

"That's just the thing! He asked—Oh my God I can't believe I let him do it!" The girl giggled nervously. "He asked if he could taste my blood, and he said it so politely! I just had to say yes!"

Joey gasped quietly. _'You mean you really-!'_

"Of course, you know, it was Seto Kaiba, so I was sort of hoping he might be considering me as a potential mate!"

_RIIIIIIIIPPPPP—_

Joey stared at the ripped shirt in his hands sightlessly, hands trembling as he leaned against the table to keep from collapsing. _'So… so that's how it is… I thought… How could I have ever thought he might care…?'_

The other girl frowned. "I've heard he's been doing that with a lot of girls, though. About five or six other girls have been talking about Kaiba taking an interest in them, too."

Joey looked down at the table, feeling a little bit more of his pride crack. He'd thought… Seto had been… And he'd…

Seto had been _polite,_ she'd said. Seto had asked _nicely_ to taste some of her blood. He'd done the same thing with _other girls._ Had kissed their hands and asked permission to drink their blood. He'd… he'd treated those other girls with respect while he'd forced Joey up against a wall and bit his—

The blond choked back a sob and continued folding his laundry, refusing to shed any tears over a vampire—especially a vampire that didn't respect him!

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey's blood had tasted the best, by far.

Seto frowned and leaned back in his seat, trying to figure out why that would be. All of the werewolves he'd tasted had blood that had been sweet, not tangy like Joey's had been. He'd even tried a few males' bloods too, and while that blood had a twist of flavor unique from the girls', it hadn't been quite as pronounced as it had been with Joey.

He'd heard that some people tasted better based on attraction. He'd never really understood, considering he thought it distasteful to drink from friends. Perhaps this was what they meant. He had to admit that he was attracted to Joey; he was fiery, cute, and—above all—sweet with the taste of unbroken innocence. And, while he knew the taste of Joey's blood would change with the taking of his virginity, he also knew that the tartness that came with it would still taste delicious with the tanginess of his blood.

…But Joey had been avoiding him. Every time he'd seen the blond at school he'd suddenly disappear into the crowd. Once, when he'd cornered the blond with Yugi, Joey had even bowed out, saying that he had an appointment for something. Joey was making it terribly difficult to have a conversation and discuss the… thing between them.

Seto wouldn't call it a relationship, because it definitely wasn't _that._ But he hoped it would be. He wanted to propose courtship (werewolves were incredibly old fashioned sometimes), but Joey wouldn't stick around long enough of him to even mention it!

He was seriously thinking about cornering Joey while he was walking home from hanging out with Yugi and just biting him so he'd be his. That would save him a lot of trouble, with the way things were going, and—

"_Mr. Kaiba, you have an urgent call on line one,"_ his secretary stated through the speaker.

Seto immediately picked up his phone. "Kaiba."

"_**Good afternoon, Kaiba-san. Alpha Takahashi would like to speak with you."**_

The brunet jerked back in his seat. "A-Alpha-?"

"_**Yes, Kaiba-san."**_

The vampire sighed shakily. "…Put him on…"

"_**Yes, Kaiba-san."**_

Seto took a deep breath, frowning. Uh oh. He really hadn't thought of the repercussions of his actions when he'd propositioned those girls-!

"_**Kaiba-san, I believe we should meet."**_

The brunet shuddered. No greeting. No niceties. And he sounded angry.

"Well, I'll have to speak with my secretary, and—"

"_**Kaiba-san, I am keeping a dozen different families from coming after you and killing you. I would like to meet with you **__immediately.__**"**_

Seto blanched. He knew he could regenerate from anything the werewolves threw at him, but… he really didn't want to have to do that, especially since there were multiple werewolves waiting to do terrible, terrible things to him.

He'd heard that a scorned werewolf had chopped off her vampire lover's balls a dozen times before her family had taken pity on him and dragged her away.

Oh God. A dozen families were going to come and take turns chopping his balls off!

"…_**Kaiba-san?"**_

"Hmm what?" Seto blinked, surprised, then sat up. "I think meeting would be perfect. When are you available?"

"…_**Did your voice just crack?"**_

"Absolutely not. When are you available?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So. Kaiba." Hiroshi narrowed his brown eyes, glaring at the brunet across his desk. "Word has gotten back to me that you have bitten seven different young girls—greeted them and asked for their blood."

Seto leaned back in his seat. "Yes. I also drank from two men. I doubt they've come forward, though." He held back the urge to cringe when the man's expression clearly stated, 'are you fucking kidding me.' "…Sorry."

"…Right." The black-haired man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, then glared at him. "Kaiba, you realize the danger you've put yourself in by just biting and running. These girls' families want to rip you apart." Hiroshi raised an eyebrow as the brunet's legs immediately flinched together. "…I see you've heard about that vampire in Tokyo."

"His story has been mentioned to me, yes," the brunet replied, grimacing.

"…Right." Hiroshi cleared his throat, hiding an amused smirk behind his hand. "I must have you know, though, that it's only my dominance as Alpha that keeps the families of those girls from seeking you out and ripping you apart. They want you punished. I can only appease them with the promise that you will stop leading the female werewolves on, because they all hoped they'd mate with you." He raised an eyebrow. "If you don't have any legitimate interest in any of the werewolves, I must ask you to cease your interaction immediately and stay away from our territory for a while if it can be helped."

Seto frowned and leaned back in his seat. "I'll admit that I'm legitimately interested in one of the werewolves I've drunk from. Unfortunately, that certain someone seems set on avoiding me."

Hiroshi's jaw dropped, and he could almost swear that he'd heard a _cha-CHING_ go off in the back of his mind. If he could get Seto Kaiba as part of his pack, the tithes he'd pay per year would have the pack funds skyrocketing, and he could finally get those fucking elders off his back about pack spending and cuts to certain pack programs. Getting the pack elders off his back would be _heavenly._

"And… and what's this werewolf's name?" he asked, forcing back his excitement. "Perhaps I could convince her—"

"Him."

"—Him to speak with you again."

Seto hummed thoughtfully. "…You know, that just might help. He's—"

The speakerphone on the desk buzzed for a moment. _"Alpha-sama, Wheeler-kun is here for his appointment. Shall I have him wait?"_

The brunet snorted. "Speak of the devil."

Hiroshi turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "What? …Never mind." Pressing the button on the speakerphone, he replied, "No, send him in. If I recall correctly, he just needs me to sign something." He turned to the coffee pot beside him and sighed. "That Wheeler family, I really don't know what to do with. Coffee?"

"Please," Seto replied, and took the cup he was offered.

There was a knock on the door before it opened, and Joey stepped in silently, his golden tail tucked submissively between his legs as he walked further into the room. "Good afternoon, Alpha-sama."

Hiroshi stood immediately and circled around the desk to meet him, taking the blond's hand in his own and bending down to gently brush his lips over the warm palm. "Good afternoon. What did you need, Joey?"

Joey only spared the vampire at the desk a glance before peeking up at the raven-haired man from beneath his lashes. "I just need ya t' sign this for me, sir."

"Alright." The older man frowned and took the paper. "Let's see here… Let me find a pen…"

Seto huffed at the lack of attention he was given, taking a sip of his coffee in frustration; now was not the time to tease his love interest. "Humph."

"Blah blah blah, permission, blah blah… Everything seems to check out…" Hiroshi began lifting his pen. He stared at the paper for a moment, then snarled loudly and turned toward the blond. "APPROVAL FOR COURTSHIP OUTSIDE THE PACK?"

Seto spat out the coffee he'd just sipped, spewing it all over the desk. "Guh-!" He sputtered a moment, then turned, glaring at the younger boy in confusion. "Who the hell are you mating with!"

The alpha snarled again. "Yeah! Who?"

Joey sighed and rolled his eyes. "He asked me out durin' one of Kaiba's tournaments, and he just recently contacted me again. It's not like I'm agreein' t' mate with him or anything," he added, placing his hands on his hips in annoyance. "I'm just agreein' t' let him court me."

It took all he had for Hiroshi to keep from roaring and forcing the blond to show submission. "BUT WHO!"

The blond huffed. "His name is Zigfried von Schroeder."

Seto spit in fury, stunned and appalled. "Wh-!"

This time, Hiroshi did roar. "THAT PINK-HAIRED FREAK I SAW ON TV?"

The brunet stood as well. "Why the hell would you go out with Zigfried von Schroeder!"

"Because I can and he's shown a genuine interest in me," the blond replied, crossing his arms saucily.

"I've shown genuine in you, too!" Seto exclaimed, scowling. He was immediately cowed by the icy glare he received.

"By kissing and biting other girls?" Joey hissed, glaring acidly.

Hiroshi turned toward the brunet in surprise. "This is the person you were talking about?"

Joey glared at him, too, when he detected the disbelief in his voice.

The raven-haired man shrank back beneath the glare. "Guh-!"

The blond growled quietly. "And just 'cause I'm gettin' the paperwork signed doesn't mean I'm actually gonna go out with him! I just like the idea of bein' able to. Okay? Jesus!"

Hiroshi grumbled but grabbed a pen to scribble his signature across the paper. "Fine, fine…" He thrust the paper back at the blond and continued to grumble. "Here."

Joey narrowed his eyes at him again. "_Thank you._" So saying, he turned, flipping his tail up haughtily as he stalked out of the office. The door was slammed loudly behind him.

"…" Seto stared after him, looking pensive.

The werewolf frowned in awkward concern. "…Kai…ba…?"

The brunet stood with a bat-like screech of his own. "THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! SCHROEDER, I'M GOING TO KILL YOOOOUUUU!"

Hiroshi scowled at him. "You know, flirting with other girls doesn't seem like genuine attraction to me, either…"

Seto turned a glare on him. "I would think that biting him in an intimate place like his ass would show genuine attraction!"

"What!" the werewolf roared, eyes glowing in fury at the thought of one of his pack mates being insulted in such a way.

The brunet squeaked. _'Shit, I said that out loud. Shit!'_

"And you didn't think he might find it insulting that you're polite and kiss other girls' hands and drink from their wrists when you just _bit his ass?_ You _always_ treat a submissive with respect! ALWAYS! And biting his ass was not respectful! It was _awful!_"

Seto squeaked again for fear that the other man would rip his genitalia to shreds himself.

"Get out," Hiroshi growled, fur on his tail bristling as his ears pressed flat against his skull. "Get. _Out._"

The vampire did not wait to be told twice.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey raised an eyebrow as he found Seto waiting outside the grocery store, then huffed and turned to go the other way. If Seto wanted to bite and seduce other girls, he didn't care! He wasn't going to stick around for the vampire to disrespect him and insult him—

He grunted as he walked into someone and stumbled backward. "Oh, sor—GAAAAAHHH!"

"You really should get used to vampire speed," Seto stated, then plucked the two paper bags from his arms and shoved them at his chauffeur. "Please take these to his home and deliver them. His address is already programmed into the GPS."

Joey could only gape as the man bowed and swiftly walked away. After a moment, however, he turned to glare at the brunet. "Why do ya have my address?"

"Because I'd planned on waiting for you at your house when I happened to see you go into the store," the brunet replied, smirking, then caught the werewolf's hand when he moved to hit him. "Ah, no, I don't think so."

"Bastard, I'm gonna—" the blond began, snarling, as he lifted his other hand. He growled as the vampire caught that hand as well and kept him from moving. "Gah! I hate you!" He couldn't help a nervous shiver as the brunet's hands slid down to grip his wrists. "L-lemme go!"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "_No._"

"No-? I wasn't askin'! Let me _go!_" Joey growled, tugging frantically, only to whimper as the brunet gave his right wrist a tug. He cringed as his hand was brought up to the taller boy's mouth, whimpering a little more, only to gasp in confusion as the brunet merely brushed his lips over his palm. "Ah-?" He blushed as the vampire nibbled on the vein in his wrist, eyes widening as he saw the brunet's irises darkened to red around the edges. "…K-Kaiba…"

"May I take a sip?" the vampire whispered, and the blond's twitching ears just barely picked it up. "May I nibble your vein open and take a few drops?"

The werewolf shivered, eyes shaking a little as the older man pulled him closer. "I… I-I…"

"No one tasted as good as you, Joey. No one was as delicious—no one was as _sensitive—_" Seto rubbed his cheek over the blond's hand, then slid his gaze to the younger boy's face. "Joey? Please?"

Joey blushed darker, taking a step back in confusion. "A-ah…" He gasped as he remembered where they were and glanced around quickly, tail tucking up between his legs in embarrassment when he found the dozens of people staring at them. He ducked his head quickly. "Oh God. Kaiba, not here. They're all looking at us."

The brunet glanced around at all of the people staring at them disinterestedly, then leaned his cheek into the werewolf's hand. "Who cares about them? Won't you answer me, Joey?"

"I-! I can't-!" He blushed even more and looked away quickly, fingers twitching against the vampire's cool cheek. "…Not in front of everyone," he answered after a moment, cheeks still cherry red.

Joey yelped as he was scooped up off his feet, eyes widening as his surroundings suddenly became a blur. Looking up at the vampire, he bit his bottom lip. Seto looked… kind of sexy with the city just a blur behind him, his eyes glowing like ruby-rimmed sapphires as the air rushed past them and through his hair. The blond squeaked and glanced away quickly in embarrassment—but immediately had to shut his eyes. The blurs rushing past him were starting to make him nauseous…

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stared at the paper in front of him, unable to help his jaw dropping in disbelief at the bold, capitalized word at the top.

_**PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT**_

He gaped at the paper a little longer, then turned a glare on the brunet sitting across the desk from him. "Ya take me out t' dinner and then this is the thanks I get for not punchin' ya in the face? This… this _insult?_"

Seto scowled. "I fail to see how it's an insult."

"I—you—this—Fuck you!" Joey stood. "Ya just don't want me t' date Schroeder, huh? That's why you're doin' this! Bein' nice and polite and—and _pleasant!_"

The vampire sneered. "…I had no idea I was being pleasant. I'll stop that immediately."

If he hadn't been so insulted, Joey might have laughed. "Prenuptial! I never said I'd mate with ya!" he roared. "And I mate for life! Ya don't need to worry about me divorcin' ya and tryin' t' steal all your money!"

Seto scowled again. "Joey, that's _not_ what this prenup is for. And I must tell you, I don't see you getting out of mating with me. I refuse to let you mate with anyone else. You're attractive, delicious, and feisty. I refuse to let a jewel like you go."

The blond blushed, startled, and jerked his gaze away quickly. After a moment, he huffed and turned to glare at him again. "If ya think that's gonna make me wanna mate with ya, you're sadly mistaken!"

"I don't care if you want to or not, Joey. I can wait until you finally decide that the idea of mating with me isn't completely terrible."

Joey stared at him, aghast. "…What sort of freak _are_ you!"

The brunet blinked at him before curling his lip up, exposing his long eyeteeth. "This kind."

The werewolf grumbled, but he supposed the older boy did have a point; vampires were well-known for being selfish, mean, and possessive. "Then what's this fuckin' prenup about?"

Seto growled quietly, then sighed in frustration. "If we're going to mate, I want you to renounce your loyalty to your pack." He paused, then closed his eyes and counted to three. He was not disappointed.

"WHATTA YA MEAN, RENOUNCE MY LOYALTY T' MY PACK!" the blond howled, outraged. He stood and slammed his hands down on the desk, a growl already beginning to build in his throat in fury.

The vampire raised an eyebrow. "I have no interest in donating money to the pack if it won't use that money to help me and mine; I also have no interest in becoming part of some disturbingly large family that won't even like me simply because I'm a vampire."

"…I see your point, but, ya want _me_ t' give them up just t' be with _you_ even though I don't even necessarily wanna!" Joey scowled. "Ya want me t' give up security and companionship for _you?_"

"I want you to give up a life where if the chance isn't good enough you'll go to work as a stripper," Seto snapped. "The chance of success for your sister's eyesight was still remarkably high, and werewolves heal quickly and completely; her eyes would have healed wonderfully. However, your pack seemed to disregard that fact and instead decided to let her go blind."

The blond's jaw dropped a little in disbelief. "…But… you… I…"

"How is she, by the way? Her surgery was the other day, was it not?" The vampire narrowed his eyes, smirking, as the younger boy sank back into his seat. "Your pack didn't pay for that, Joey. _You_ did. By showing your body off even when you didn't want to." His expression immediately sobered. "I realize werewolves mate for life. Please don't think that I'll get bored with you and go somewhere else or kick you out. I like to think I'm better than that. Besides, that's what therapists are for."

Joey frowned and looked down at his tail, picking at some of the split ends he found. "…But… if I renounce… I won't… What if my family doesn't wanna speak t' me? You're a vampire, and… and what if my sister doesn't wanna talk t' me? I just couldn't—"

"You took your _clothes_ off for her, Joey." Seto huffed. "Don't think she doesn't know that. She's a clever girl. You obtained a great deal of money in a small amount of time and there are very few occupations that fit that description. Be grateful that she figured out stripping over prostitution."

"You—ya mean she knows?" the blond gasped, horrified. "How could she ever—"

"I took flowers to her. She asked, and I didn't deny it. I never said yes, but I didn't say no." The brunet paused. "…But she still loves you, Joey. And she respects you and what you did for her."

Joey twisted his tail anxiously, eyes staring sightlessly at his feet. "But if it slips… if she accidentally mentions somethin' that people pick up on… I… I'll be excommunicated, and… and no one would ever mate with me!"

Seto cleared his throat. "_Ahem._"

"…Oh. Except you," the blond muttered.

"…_Ouch._" The vampire scowled. "Thanks a lot. You know, tons of people would be _dying_ to be in your position right now." He paused, then smirked. "Though even more would be dying to be in a completely _different_ position."

Joey shot him a half-hearted glare. "And what position would that be?"

"With my head between their legs." Seto was quite pleased with the way the blond's cheeks immediately burned bright red and the way his jaw dropped. "…I wish I could say I'm kidding, but I'm not."

"…Th-that-! You-! GAH!" The werewolf turned away from him and crossed his arms, huffing indignantly. "Like I want your head anywhere near me! Especially not between my legs!"

The brunet shrugged. "Say what you will. _I_ know you'd like it, though."

Joey bit his bottom lip, then frowned and turned to look at the prenup. "…I'm… I'm not gonna sign it." He looked up at the vampire and dug his fangs into his lip a little more. "I understand what ya mean, and if ya promise that you'll take care of my family when they need help and the pack won't provide for 'em, I wouldn't mind matin' with ya. It's just…" He motioned at the paper. "I don't wanna do it like this."

Seto stared at him for a moment, then leaned back in his seat. "So what do you suggest we do, Joey?"

"When I tell my pack I mated, they'll take my word for it," the blond replied slowly. "If I say I'm not part of the pack, they'll have to accept it. I'm old enough to decide who I want to mate with and how I want to do it."

The brunet raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Really? They'll just take you at your word?" His eyes widened as the werewolf looked up at him and flexed his hand, shuddering as all the bones in the blond's fingers cracked and popped. _'He could totally take over as alpha of his pack if he wasn't a submissive.'_

"…So? What do you think about that?" Joey asked unsurely, wondering if the brunet had changed his mind when he hadn't responded a moment later. "…If… if that's not enough, I don't know what…"

"If you say your word is good enough, I'll believe you," Seto stated after a moment. "So. What should we do now?" The brunet raised an eyebrow when the werewolf's cheeks glowed pink again. "…Hmm…?"

"What… what would…" The blond blushed a little more. "…What would you do with your head between my legs?"

The vampire stared at him for a few moments, stunned, then smirked and leaned back in his seat. "I'd probably suck you off and then do some rimming."

Joey blinked slowly. "…W-what's rimming?" he asked in confusion.

"…I… you… Uh…" Seto stared at him for a moment, stunned, then growled and stood. "Fuck this. I'm just going to show you since you're so curious."

"Huh? Huh? Kaiba-? GAH!" The werewolf yelped as the brunet shoved him back in his seat, squirming when he reached for his zipper. "What the hell! No! What are ya—YIPE!" He squealed in embarrassment and tried to shove him away, cheeks flaming even darker as the vampire managed to get his pants down to his knees.

Seto hissed quietly. "This isn't the golden thong, but it's acceptable," he decided, ripping the blond's pants off completely as he knelt between his legs. "Well hello! Silk!"

Joey squeaked in mortification as the brunet nuzzled between his legs, reaching down to grab his hair. "What are you _doing!_"

"Worshiping your silk panties. Do all submissive werewolves wear panties?" Before the blond could reply, the vampire hooked his fingers in the hem and smirked up at him. "In any case, I approve. Did you want me to show you what rimming is?"

It was so hard to keep up; the vampire kept changing subjects and giving him that sneaky smirk that werepups were taught to always be wary of! How was he supposed to answer? Especially when he didn't know what he was answering about-!

"I'll take that as a yes," the brunet purred, pulling the silk panties down the werewolf's legs.

Joey squirmed frantically, eyes wide as the vampire leaned down between his legs. "Wait, what are ya—what are you gonna—GAH!" He dug his sharp nails into the brunet's shoulders frantically.

"OW!" Seto sat up straight and snarled at him, making the blond shrink backward immediately. "Do not dig your claws into my shoulders. Dig them into my back or my arms, but not my shoulders. That's where my wings start when I get them out and it's extremely painful when you do that."

The werewolf immediately yanked his hands back to his chest, nodding quickly. He couldn't help his curiosity, though. "You have wings?"

"If you're a good little puppy and let me finish, I'll even show them to you," the brunet stated, rolling his shoulders slowly. "Until then, kindly _not_ pierce one of the most sensitive parts of my body."

Joey blushed and nodded in embarrassment. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Seto sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Never mind. Just… try not to hurt my shoulders again…"

"…'kay," the blond answered quietly. He squeaked in discomfort as the vampire slid his legs over his shoulders but merely jerked his head away. "Nngh!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey blinked slowly, refusing to let himself pass out this time and instead bask in the afterglow. He sighed quietly, then let his gaze slide down in front of him.

He immediately scowled. "Ya seem t' be enjoyin' yourself."

Seto looked up at him in surprise, still sucking on the mark he'd made on his thigh, then glanced away awkwardly. "…Well, um. …I have no excuse," he muttered, laying his head on the blond's leg. "You just taste so good. _No one_ has ever tasted as good as you."

Joey blushed a little but jerked his head away nonetheless. "Ya still bit other werewolves. How's that s'posed t' make me feel?"

"I just wanted to see if all werewolves tasted as good as you or if it was something unique to you alone," the vampire grumbled. "But I see where I went wrong. I practically forced you to let me drink from you the first time, and I was polite to everyone else. That certainly didn't win any points with you."

"Didn't win ya any points with Alpha Hiroshi, either," the blond quipped, smirking. "You're _still _the butt of a 'bat out of hell' joke."

Seto grumbled a little more before latching back onto the werewolf's thigh and continuing to lick up his blood, fully expecting to be thumped on the head. He was surprised when the younger boy just reached back to gently touch his shoulder, and he glanced up to see the blond's eyes not angry, but curious. He nearly melted when the blond's claws danced across his shoulder like a feather's touch, and he wondered what those fingers could do to his wings.

Joey squeaked as the vampire immediately yanked away from him and began tearing his shirt open. "Gah! Kaiba, what are ya—Nngh?" He could only stare as the brunet shouldered his shirt off and arched his back, eyes widening as large, black leathery wings unfurled from his back.

The vampire's eyes deepened to crimson with icy blue pupils, and he spared a hiss before turning and sinking his fangs into the blond's other thigh so he had matching bite marks. "Touch them but be gentle," he mumbled around licking up the blood oozing out of the wound. "More sensitive than my shoulders."

"Oh." The blond hesitated before gently touching the twitching wing on his right. He gasped as it flared open, then reached out to trail over the bone again, then trailed his nails over the leathery skin and smiled as it flexed beneath them. "It's soft." He pinched the skin lightly and giggled. "Silky!"

Seto let his eyes drift closed as the werewolf's fingers continued to pluck and rub his wing, purring quietly as he twisted his other wing around to cup around the chair the blond was seated in. "That feels good… Hmm…" He arched his wing into the younger boy's hands and hissed, curling his arms around the blond's waist and crawling closer to him. "Mm, _Joey…_"

"…What are ya…? Seto, are ya—are ya tryin' t' crawl into my lap!"

The brunet paused, eyes wide, then glanced around awkwardly. …Yes. Yes, he was indeed trying to crawl into the blond's lap, and the chair would topple backward if he kept trying to get into it when it was already occupied. "…This isn't what it looks like," he stated after a moment. "I was… merely trying to get closer to your hand."

Joey gave him a look so dirty that he felt stupid for trying to use such a flimsy excuse. "…Yeah. That's totally what it was," the blond stated, then huffed. "Gettin' closer t' my hand."

"…You're sure they'll take your word?" Seto asked after a moment, frowning. He dealt with werewolves on a minimum, but somehow, that didn't seem like enough.

The blond sighed and nodded. "Yes. My word is good enough." He paused, then smirked. "Don't think that distracted me from ya tryin' t' crawl into my lap. I will be teasin' ya for years."

"…Blurgh…" The vampire huffed in defeat and shoved his wings at the blond. "Just pet them again."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm sorry, Joseph, but your word just isn't good enough."

Seto felt the vein in his temple pulse in annoyance. _'"My word is good enough," my ass!'_ He glanced at Joey and was surprised to find that he wasn't about to flip out or make threats, deciding to sit back and watch what he decided to do when he saw the determined glint in the glowing brown eyes.

"My word _is_ good enough, and you'd better find it good enough for your paperwork. I agreed t' renounce my loyalty t' the pack t' mate with Kaiba," Joey stated, looking each and every elder in the eye before he finally locked his gaze on the alpha. "If ya continue to harass me and my mate, I'll go t' the human police and tell them that you're harassin' me. I'll take out a protective order against the entire pack. Not to mention all of the trouble Kaiba could get ya into," he added, shrugging. He couldn't help a smirk. "He's a billionaire, ya know. He has the money t' waste on that sort of thing."

As the elders of the pack snarled and roared in outrage, Hiroshi merely laced his fingers together and placed his head on them. He eyed the blond's posture, no long submissive to everyone, and the way those eyes met his challengingly. As Alpha, he realized he had the right to refuse to acknowledge their mating. However, the pup was no longer submissive to the pack and—as he watched the vampire gently touch the blond's shoulder—only seemed to submit to whom he claimed as his mate.

The elders could bitch and moan all they wanted, but what the blond said was true; Seto Kaiba could _bury_ them in legalities for years to come, and he'd still have money to spare. Wasting their precious pack funds on something that probably wouldn't bring a profit was not something he'd allow, especially considering that Joey could, quite literally, bring hellfire and brimstone upon them.

At least, he heard that vampires could summon hellfire and brimstone. He'd never actually seen it, though.

Standing, he waved his hand to silence the elders, then turned his gaze back on the blond in front of him. "Alright. I accept your word." He turned and let out a snarl that silenced the elders when they were about to go into an uproar again, then returned his attention to the younger boy. "But the choice is permanent. You can no longer receive the benefits of being in this pack. I can only give you my blessing. However…" He couldn't help a smirk. "I thought you were asking for permission to date Zigfried."

Joey flinched backward as the elders _really_ lost it, howling in rage that the one werewolf garnering such attention from two extremely wealthy people had renounced his loyalty to the pack.

Fearing for the blond's safety, Seto immediately grabbed the blond, threw him over his shoulder, and bolted. Tearing his balls off was one thing; having his mate being ripped to shreds in fury was a whole other thing entirely!


	44. Horny II

Author's Note: Once again, I decide which chapters are updated. **:|** Seriously, guys. It annoys me. Don't make me block you because you want to make demands in PMs. Once again, you may ask if I plan on writing another chapter for a story, but _please_ do not make demands for a continuation. **:|**

Updated (07-29-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Horny II

Seto growled again as the blond's pupils dilated, brown melting into molten gold as he reached his climax. He purred quietly as the younger boy's body jerked, then leaned down to give him a gentle kiss. "Mm… _Mine._"

"Ahm… ah…" The blond panted weakly, shuddering as the older boy pushed his bangs out of his face and trailed the tip of his cold tongue over his nose and up to run across his forehead. "Ngh! What are ya doin', ya freak—"

Seto nuzzled his throat and purred, then dug his fingers into the human's hair. "Making sure you don't have a fever. Humans are so sensitive to pheromones that I have to check whether you need fresh air or not." He fixed the human with an intense stare. "If I remember correctly, you promised to use your mouth on me if I helped you get off."

"Ah… Yes… Nn…" He did vaguely remember that. Joey mewed and rolled onto his side, pawing at the brunet's pants.

"Seto! Seto, are you in?"

Seto flinched and grabbed the blond's wrist quickly. "Shit. Damn it. Shit!" He stood and hurriedly wrapped the blond in a blanket. "Keep yourself covered."

Joey frowned in confusion, brows furrowing together as he reached up to pull the blanket closer around his body. "…D-do ya not want your friend t' know-?"

"Ugh, she'll know. I just don't want her to see you," the brunet muttered, hurriedly retying his belt and combing his fingers through his hair—completely missing the hurt look on the younger boy's face. He took a deep breath, then turned, using his powers to force the rocks to twist into a doorway.

A woman with long, wavy blonde hair that barely covered feathered ears swept in, smiling sweetly, although her scaly tail waved around in a way that spoke of anything but kindness. "Seto! I thought you said I could help you during your rut this year!"

"…I _never_ said that, Mai," Seto spat, glaring at her, and crossed his arms. He took a step in front of the human on his bed protectively. "You just _assumed_ that after last time."

"Well, it's really your fault. You're the one acting like such a tease," she laughed, slapping his arm playfully. She fought the urge to flinch as his glare grew darker, instead growing interested in the human behind him. "Well, who is this? Is _he_ the one you were spending your rut with?"

Seto stiffened, then scowled again. "As a matter of fact, yes."

Mai hummed and reached out to play with the human's hair. "Well, I suppose he's cute enough."

"Ahn-!" Joey flinched a little as she grabbed his chin, allowing her to maneuver his head around so she could check his profile; he could sense the power and strength hidden behind her feminine physique, and he just _knew_ she could snap him in two if she felt like it.

Seto scowled and whipped his tail out to wrap around her wrist, lip curling up in a sneer. "No. He is not. He is _not_ cute enough. He's mine. Do you hear me? _Mine._"

Mai squeaked as the bones in her wrist creaked, then huffed in annoyance as they cracked and broke, turning to give him a venomous look. "You didn't have to break my wrist!"

"It made _me_ feel better," he snarled. "What do you want?"

Yanking her injured hand away, she sneered back at him, sparing a glance at his damp tail. "Maybe I just want to do what _you've_ been doing, Seto. Maybe I want to pin him down and fuck him silly with my tail. He obviously likes things up his ass—"

Seto roared in her face and grabbed her by her wings, dragging her to the entrance and lifting her off her feet. Roaring again in fury, he threw her out, forcing the rock to twist back into a wall. "GRAAAHR!"

He glared at the stone for a few minutes, panting, then forced himself to calm down when he heard a soft whimper behind him. He took a few deep breaths and forced his muscles to relax. He tensed again as he heard the woman outside screeching angrily, then growled, trying to will all of the anger and resentment away.

"…W-what's a rut?" Joey asked quietly, frowning. He let the blanket fall from around his shoulders. "…Am I part of it?"

Seto sighed, running a hand through his hair. His rutting period was coming to an end, and he was only giving off a small fraction of the pheromones he'd started with. Sometimes the blond's eyes would still get glassy, but for the most part, he was doing it of his own free will now. Still, it would be best if he explained it…

He took a few deep breaths to make sure he was calm, then turned, letting his hand fall to his side. "A rut… is the mating period for a male demon. Some female demons go through heat—when all they want is sex and they want it all the time, to get pregnant. For male demons, it's called a rut."

"…But I can't get pregnant," the blond mumbled, frowning. "Humans don't work like that—"

"I never said I wanted children." The ice demon walked over to sit on the bed next to him, pulling the blanket from around him and humming in approval as he looked him over. "In any case, I would prefer to spend my rut with a scrawny human than a bitch like Mai." He grunted in annoyance even as he cupped the blond's cheek. "She tried to get her tail up my ass. Unlike some people, I only like it when I'm doing it to someone else. I don't like it being done to me."

Joey leaned his face into his hand and sighed, then looked back up at him in confusion. "…So… so when your rut ends… Are ya gonna eat me then?"

The blond had lost any appetizing qualities the moment Seto had heard him cry out in ecstasy. Despite that, he tilted his head, making a show of thinking about the question. "…No," he said finally. "No, I won't eat you when my rut ends."

The blond blinked up at him. "…Ya just gonna keep me around t' talk to or somethin'?"

The demon stared back at him for a few moments, stunned, then scowled. "Rut doesn't mean my libido turns on and off, Joey. I'll still want sex, just not as much."

"Oh." Joey blushed and looked away quickly, embarrassed. He mewed in complaint as the brunet grabbed his hair and jerked his head around to face him again. "Ah-!"

"You're _mine,_" he muttered, as if trying to convince himself. "I'm not letting you go. You're _mine!_"

The blond gasped as his legs were pushed up and over the demon's shoulders. "Ahn! I thought—I thought I was gonna use my mouth-!" He moaned as the older boy pressed closer, knees pressed up against his ears as the demon fumbled to get his pants open. "Later then-!"

"_MINE!_"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sat up and sighed, lifting a hand to scratch at the stub of his broken horn. It itched. Why did it itch? Because it sucked. Growing horns always sucked. He regretted breaking it off. He hated his horns. Well, he hated the one horn that was coming back. Hated it. _Hated it._

"Mn… Ah…" Joey turned onto his side and moaned quietly. "Feels like it's still in there…" He looked up at the brunet and sighed. "Fucked me real good this time. Every time I move, my body feels like you're slammin' into me again."

"Hmm. I suppose I should have been gentler with you." The brunet slapped his ass and chuckled when the human squealed. "But that does a lot for my ego. Knowing you still feel like you're being fucked even when I'm not inside you makes me… happy."

The blond moaned again, eyes rolling back a little as the demon brushed his nipple with a cold fingertip; he was too weak to escape, even to troll over anymore. He was exhausted. "Oh…!"

"Don't worry. Once I'm out of rut, you'll be able to walk. I won't want to fuck you as long or as hard." The demon rolled the hardening nub between his fingers and chuckled when the blond shuddered violently. "It's made you quite sensitive, hasn't it? I mean, being a virgin with no other experience certainly helps, but all the sex you've been getting has made you even more responsive." He lifted his other hand to fondle the neglected nipple, smirking as the human sobbed helplessly. "Hmm? Did you say something?"

"You're gonna kill me!" Joey bleated. "We've been doin' it for days! Just gimme—a half an hour, okay!" He mewed in complaint as the brunet pulled his hands away, grimacing as he was spanked again. "Urgh… Would a bath be too much t' ask for? I'm still covered in cum from I dunno when…"

Seto frowned and tilted his head. "Hmm… I suppose. Once my rut ends. If I took you to get clean now, I'd get you back and fuck you again—maybe even harder than this last time. I need you to smell only of me until rut ends; otherwise I'll have to stake my claim on you all over again." He grabbed the blond around the waist to tug him onto his lap. "Near the end of rut is when I get most possessive. If you don't smell strongly enough of me, I'll fuck you—and I _really_ don't want to break you."

The blond looked up at him in confusion. "Wha-?"

"I've been gentle with you up until now," the demon explained. "Even including that last round, I've been incredibly careful with your body. If I went into a frenzy like that, I could crush your bones, accidentally kill you if I'm not careful. I really do not want to do that after having held back this long."

"But I feel _gross,_" Joey groaned, not entirely minding being strewn across his lap. "I'm gritty, and sticky, and… sore," he mumbled, falling limp. "I feel… used. …Like a slut 'r somethin'…"

Seto huffed indignantly. "You _are_ a slut. _My_ slut." He hugged the blond tightly. "Mine."

"You keep sayin' that." The human frowned. "I _know_ I'm yours. Ya don't hafta keep tellin' me that."

"…It's a demon thing," the brunet muttered. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm not just telling you. I'm telling the world."

Joey blinked. "Oh. I guess that makes sense. …In some weird way…" He blushed a little as he felt the older boy begin petting his hips and thighs. "Wait—"

Seto chuckled quietly. "I'm going to let you rest, don't worry."

His hands moved slowly, feeling cool, but soothing on his aching muscles. The blond melted on his lap, cooing and purring sweetly as the ice demon massaged the ache away. "Oh… Seto…"

"I promise I'll help you get perfectly clean once rut is over. Until then, bear with me, okay?" the brunet promised. "I'll even help you get _squeaky_ clean."

Joey squealed as the demon's cool fingers strayed between his cheeks. "Eeee!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey squirmed as the brunet gently dipped him into the hot spring, frowning. "Ya sure your rut's over…?"

"Quite sure. I woke up yesterday _not_ feeling like I needed to fuck you until you began to cry and begged for a rest." The demon smiled a little. "And then I fucked you a few times just to make sure. I couldn't get it up as often as I could before. That means that I'm officially out of rut." He nuzzled the blond's neck. "Don't worry. I'll let you rest."

"…Hmm…" The blond continued to frown at him. He blinked as the brunet slid into the spring as well. "Is this okay? Isn't it too hot for ya?"

"Contrary to popular belief, heat won't kill me. I just lower my temperature to deal with it," Seto explained.

Joey blinked at him again, then reached out to gently touch his arm. "…Ya don't feel any different." He squeaked as he felt something cold on his inner thigh. "EEEE!"

"Use a more sensitive part of your body." The demon yelped as the blond smacked his hand and yanked it back quickly, startled. "…What was that for!"

"Warn me when ya do that!" Blushing, the blond looked away from him. "…It's… different when you're not plannin' on fuckin' me senseless."

Seto scowled, chest rumbling as he reached out to grab his arm. Dragging the human onto his lap, he buried his face in his neck and snarled; he held him tightly and refused to let him go even after he squirmed. "_Mine!_"

Joey shuddered, eyes wide as he felt the brunet's sharp nails dance over his back. "S-Seto…!"

"…I'm… still a little possessive," the older boy stated after a few moments. "…I'm sorry. I just… I don't… …I should always be able to touch you. You're mine." He grimaced. "That sounds awful. But I don't know how to explain it now…"

"…I'm yours," the blond stated after a moment, beginning to relax into his arms. "I'm all yours, Seto."

Seto purred and nuzzled the human's throat. "Yes. You're mine. All… all mine." He kissed his jaw softly before rubbing his cheek over the blond's. "Mine…"

Joey let his eyes drift closed, somehow feeling warm and safe despite the cool feel of icy skin against his own. He sighed, then peeled his eyes open slightly, staring at the stub of horn sticking awkwardly out of the brunet's hair. "…Hmm…"

"_I broke it off."_

"_Oh… Did it hurt…?"_

"…_A little."_

He looked at the horn a little longer, taking in the jagged edges of the horn slowly—and just able to catch a glimpse of the sensitive bone that had probably been the part that had hurt. "…Does it still hurt?" he asked quietly.

Seto blinked in confusion before glancing up at him. "Does what still hurt?"

"…Your horn. Does it still hurt?"

"…No." The brunet glanced away and frowned. "Well, it aches sometimes, but it doesn't hurt like it did before. It mostly just itches because it's healing. It should be back to the same size as my other horn in a few months…" He blushed as the human leaned closer, eyes widening as he watched the blond purse his lips. "What are you—"

Joey brushed a kiss over the blunted edge of his horn, turning to straddle the brunet's lap and gently grasp his shoulders. "Kissin' it better."

It felt warm, but not the uncomfortable kind of warm that he'd felt when he stepped into the hot spring, or the sticky kind of warm that meant a thunderstorm was coming and he had to stay inside or risk becoming a snowman. This sort of warmth was… nice. It filled him with some emotion he couldn't name, but he liked it, and he wanted to keep feeling it.

Cupping the blond's cheek gently, he managed a short smile before drawing the human's face down to his own and claiming his sweet mouth with a soft kiss. Joey was his, and so was the warmth he gave him that he didn't quite understand.

.-.-.-.-.-.

WHY WAS HIS HORN SO ITCHY?

Seto huffed and squirmed, then punched his mattress. He didn't want to scratch it. It meant his horn was healing; that was all. It just made sleeping incredibly difficult! He was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was sleep peacefully, and what was keeping him from that? His horn. His stupid, itchy horn. He punched his mattress again. Joey was sleeping peacefully. Why couldn't he!

Turning onto his side, away from the serene scene of the blond sleeping without a care, he grumbled and glared at the wall. "This is complete and utter _bullshit._"

"Mm…"

He stilled immediately and sighed, unable to help a smile as the human snuggled up against his back. Chuckling when the blond slid an arm around his waist, he gently placed his hand on top of it, lacing fingers with him. He blushed a little in surprise as something brushed over his horn and glanced up quickly.

Joey offered him a sleepy smile. "Ya think too much, Set'. Turn over," he ordered quietly, pulling on his shoulder with his free hand. Once the demon obliged, he straddled the brunet's hips and carefully tucked his head beneath his chin, reaching up to gently fondle the broken horn. "Mm… Does this feel better?"

"…Yes," Seto answered after a moment. It still itched a little, but not aggravatingly so, like it had before. "…Much better." He arched his hips a little and smirked when the blond giggled, still half asleep. "Does that feel good, Joey?"

"Feels nice…" the younger boy mumbled, nuzzling under his chin. "You're so strong… I like being held by ya…"

The brunet paused, then slid his arms around the human's waist and held him tightly. "I like holding you. You're nice and warm. You feel good."

"…I like bein' with ya," Joey admitted softly. "I'd like t' stay with ya as long as I can. Is that okay?"

Seto lifted his head to glance down at him, taking in the tired but sincere gaze directed at him, the way the blond curled around him perfectly like they were two puzzle pieces. He examined the bruised skin on his hips, already beginning to heal, and the plump lips that brushed over his skin with reverence each time.

Joey respected him, and not just because he could easily kill him. He respected that he was powerful. He respected that he was intelligent. He respected that he wasn't a stupid beast like some demons could be. And Joey wasn't a terrible human. He was sweet, sympathetic, and even though he had a short temper, it made him interesting.

"…Seto? Is… is that not okay?" the blond asked again hesitantly.

The demon smiled a little and kissed his forehead. "…It's okay." He nuzzled the blond's hair. "It's okay. I'll keep you as long as you want."

Joey smiled and lifted his head to kiss him softly. "I really like ya, Seto. You're a real pervert durin' your rut, but other than that, you're an okay guy." He tucked his head back under the brunet's chin and sighed, fingers curling around his horn unconsciously. "Go t' sleep, Seto."

Seto closed his eyes as he savored the feeling of the blond's fingers gently easing the itch in his horn, then opened them again to gaze at the human warmly. "Okay. You go back to sleep, too, then."

"Hmm… 'kay…"

The brunet kissed the human's rounded ear softly, smiling as he held the smaller body closer. "…Mine…" he stated quietly, before finally drifting off to sleep himself.


	45. Stupid Cupid

Author's Note: DO NOT ASK FOR A SEQUEL TO THIS STORY. I ended it right where I intended to end it—which is a place for you all to make up your own interpretations, just like I did with _Katsuya's Adventures in Wonderland._ Whether or not this has a sequel is completely up to me and if, by some small chance, I _do_ decide to do one, it will be because _I_ want to see where it goes, not because someone has pestered me into it.

Updated (07-29-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Stupid Cupid

"Seto? Can I have some of your hair?"

Seto frowned but didn't look up from his laptop. "Whyyyy?"

Mokuba sat down on the edge of his desk and sighed. "It's an assignment for school." When the brunet finally looked up at him and give him a pointed look, he grimaced. "I mean for cupidry. We're learning about compatibility and our assignment is to check our compatibility with our family members."

The brunet raised an eyebrow at him, then chuckled quietly and leaned back in his seat. "I remember that assignment. A boy in my class learned he was adopted and a girl learned that her mother cheated on her father." He chuckled again. "Ah, good times."

"…Why are you laughing? That's terrible," the younger boy exclaimed, glaring at him.

Seto blinked at him in surprise, then pulled down his shirt to expose the black wing tattooed on his left arm. "I'm a cupid of hatred, Mokuba. I laugh at others' misfortunes."

"…You're terrible," Mokuba muttered, scowling, even as he plucked out one of his own hairs and opened the cap to the compatibility capsule test he'd been given at school. He held it out for the older boy to place his own hair in it, then closed the capsule and shook it. "What compatibility do you think it'll be?"

"Seventeen, eighteen. Anything less than twenty-five but more than zero," the brunet replied, turning his attention back to his laptop.

Mokuba blinked at the number on top of the capsule. "…Seventeen and half. How did you…?"

"Because I did this test when I was younger, too, dummy." The brunet smiled and ruffled the younger boy's hair to take some of the sting out of his statement. "Unlike compatibility rates among unrelated people, our compatibility rates never change."

"Oh." Mokuba stared at the top of the capsule for a moment, then narrowed his eyes at the older boy skeptically. "Are you sure?"

Seto snorted and took a couple of the empty capsules his brother was holding from his hands. "Here. I'll put a hair in each of these. Test our compatibility every few days."

The younger boy stuck his tongue out at him and hopped off of his desk. "Fine! I will!" He began to walk away, then frowned, pausing in the doorway. "…Seto, have you…"

"Hmm?" The brunet looked over at him in concern. "Have I what?"

"…Have you ever… dated anyone?" he asked, peeking back at him curiously.

Seto paused. "…Define… 'date.'"

"…Have you ever _liked_ anyone then?" Mokuba prayed that the answer was yes. Because he couldn't get help from his brother if he had no idea what he was talking about.

"…I like you," the brunet offered after a minute. "…If you're talking about the romantic sense, I suppose I have, but I was in third grade and she punched me when I asked her out. I haven't really asked anyone out since then…"

Mokuba quickly figured out that Seto would be no help to him with the problem he'd had for quite a few weeks now. "Okay. Just wanted to know."

"…Okay then. If you need any help with your essay, let me know," Seto replied, looking back at his laptop.

The younger boy frowned at him in confusion. "What essay?"

"…The… essay you need to write for your compatibility tests." The brunet blinked at him slowly.

Mokuba tilted his head, baffled. "I don't have to write an essay."

"WHAT? I HAD TO WRITE A TEN-PAGE ESSAY WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL! THIS IS TOTAL BULLSHIT AND COMPLETELY UNFAIR!" Seto roared, standing in outrage and slamming his hands down on the desk.

Mokuba fled before the brunet could get _really_ angry.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Sighing quietly, Mokuba picked up a pebble from the pile he'd gathered and flicked it into the water. Seto was really no help. How was he supposed to know how to ask a girl out? Wasn't his older brother supposed to teach him that, since their father wasn't there to do it? So how was he supposed to learn these things if his brother was hopeless when it came to girls?

He flicked another pebble into the water and sighed again. "What do I do now…?"

"Mokuba?"

Mokuba turned in surprise when he heard the familiar voice, then smiled. "Hey, Joey. What are you doing here?"

The blond smiled at him brightly. "Got a part-time job until Yug' can convince Gramps t' hire me. More importantly, what are _you_ doin' here?"

At that, the younger boy frowned again and looked back at the water. "…I'm just thinking. Had to get away from everything for a while."

"I dunno if the park is the best place t' do that, but okay." Sitting down on the dock beside him, Joey looked out over the lake and sighed quietly, happy expression fading into a content little smile. "Ya wanna talk about it?"

Mokuba hugged his knees to his chest and sighed again, brows furrowing together. "…I just… want to know some things, but Seto isn't the best person to ask. But… I don't know who else to go to."

The blond glanced down at him and raised an eyebrow. "And how do ya know that?"

"…Because I asked him if he'd ever liked someone and he said he liked a girl in third grade. She punched him when he asked her out and he's never really cared to ask anyone out after that." The younger boy frowned. "But he dates people. Or, well… he pays for dinner and then he sleeps with them."

Joey flinched. "Oh. Okay. I can see why askin' him might not be the best idea."

"Yeah…" Mokuba hid his face in his knees, voice becoming muffled so that blond had to lean in to hear him. "There's this girl in my class. I think she's really cute, and smart, and funny—and I want to ask her out, but I don't want her to punch me!"

The older teen frowned and scratched the back of his head. "Well… does she like ya, or are ya a prick t' her like your brother is t' me?"

The raven-haired boy looked up at him quickly. "Oh! No! I'm really nice to her! I mean, she's so nice to me, it would be rude if I was anything but nice in return, right?"

Joey raised an eyebrow at him. "…Okay." He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he looked back over the water, then picked up one of the pebbles the other boy had gathered and tossed it into the water to watch it sink. "…You could tell her that you really like her, and that you'd like t' take her out. Don't be rude. Just ask her if she wants t' go someplace simple, like a burger joint or the theme park. You can do the fancy, expensive shit later, once you've decided ya actually like each other enough."

Mokuba frowned and relaxed a little, resting his chin on his arms. "…I guess that makes sense. But what if she says no? What if she doesn't like me back?"

"You'll get over it," the blond assured, smiling at him. "You're a Kaiba. Ya always bounce back, and ya do it even cooler than before."

"…That's true…" The younger boy blinked. "…You think my brother is cool?"

Joey blushed a little, eyes widening in shock. "Uh—I—Ah—" He squeaked, biting his bottom lip, then hid his face in his hands. "…A little."

Mokuba blinked at him again, stunned, then tilted his head thoughtfully. "…You… think he's cool? Even with how much of a jerk he's been to you?"

"…I don't think he's like that because he chooses t' be," the blond answered after a moment. "I think he's like that 'cause he has t' be. I used t' be like that, too. The only difference is that I know how t' turn it off. I don't think your brother knows any other way of protectin' himself."

"…Oh…" The younger boy frowned, surprised that the former thug could actually be so insightful. "…So… what else do you think of my brother?"

Joey blushed and bit his bottom lip. "…W-well, it's not like he's a terrible guy. I watch all of the stuff he does for ya, and I can understand why he feels he needs t' protect himself. He gives ya everything he's got, and he would probably do that for anyone else that gets close. He'd probably be really hurt if he gave someone everything and they didn't appreciate it like you do." He picked up another pebble and threw it into the water. "I understand why he keeps everyone away, why he's so mean t' everyone. I just don't get why he's so mean t' _me._"

Mokuba frowned. "…You're the one that keeps coming back, Joey. He doesn't know how to get you away, because instead of getting scared and leaving him alone, you just get mad and in his face. So he has to be _especially_ mean to you."

"Oh." The blond blinked out at the water slowly. "…I guess that makes sense. I really do wanna be his friend, though. I mean, he needs friends, and Yugi and I can take care of ourselves… so why…?"

"He's been alone for _years,_ Joey. He doesn't know what to do with friends." The younger boy sighed. "I wish he had some, but he's so used to dealing with people much older than him for business, that he doesn't know how to go out for pizza or dancing. He unwinds with a glass of wine and a book at the end of the day, not videogames and ice-cream."

Joey tilted his head and frowned. "He probably just needs someone to teach him. I wouldn't mind that… I probably wouldn't mind some booze before bed either, though…"

"It's a glass of wine, Joey. Not a whole freaking bottle," the raven-haired boy teased. "You probably wouldn't like it anyway."

"I wouldn't? Why?" The older teen turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "I've had booze before."

Mokuba sighed. "Right." He looked up at the blond thoughtfully, unable to help a smile when he saw the playful glint in the other boy's brown eyes. "…If I have any more questions about girls, Joey, can I ask you?"

Joey smiled brightly. "Sure, as long as your brother doesn't think I'm steppin' on his toes or anything."

"…Okay." The younger boy managed a small smile of his own. "I will. You'd make a good older brother, Joey."

The blond's smile faded a little, the happiness giving way to genuine confusion. "…Mokuba, I'm already an older brother."

Mokuba raised an eyebrow for a moment, but then he remembered Serenity and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Okay, I'll admit it. I may have taken a stupid pill this morning," he mumbled, smiling a little when the older boy laughed. "Well, okay, you're a good older brother. You'd probably make a really good mom though."

"Yeah, well— …Mom?" Joey blinked at him. "…What-?"

"…I may have taken a _couple_ stupid pills. I meant dad," the younger boy moaned, covering his face in embarrassment. He paused, then smirked up at the older boy. "Though you scream like a girl when you're scared, and Yugi told me you dressed up as a girl once—"

Joey promptly shoved him off of the dock and into the lake.

.-.-.-.-.-.

'_If I do this, I'll probably regret it.'_

Mokuba bit his bottom lip anxiously. He hadn't _meant_ to pull out one of Joey's hairs—it had just happened! He'd been dunking him under the water and just suddenly—hair! Hair that could be tested! Tested for compatibility with his brother!

He cringed immediately at the thought. That hadn't been why Seto had given him his hair. He was abusing his brother's trust. …But Joey could answer all of his questions, and he'd told him he didn't really _hate_ Seto, he just—he just gave as good as he got. And he understood why Seto was so… Seto. He needed someone he could look up to and trust, and Seto needed someone who understood him.

Joey would be the perfect person for both of them. He just needed to check for compatibility. They needed at least sixty percent compatibility.

Well, if Joey wasn't sixty percent compatible with Seto, he didn't even need to worry about it! He wouldn't even have to tell anyone! He'd just throw out the test and no one would have to know about it!

With that thought in mind, Mokuba steeled his nerves and dropped Joey's hair into the capsule, then popped the lid on and shook it gently. _'He probably won't have high compatibility with Seto, anyway.'_

He took a deep breath. Then, steeling his nerves, he tilted the capsule to see just how compatible Joey and his brother were. He choked on his spit in shock.

Ninety-one percent. Joey and Seto were _ninety-one_ percent compatible. It was rare for people to even get eighty percent, and here they were _ninety-one_? That was impossible!

Mokuba shook the test again, certain that it hadn't read the compatibility correctly. When the number still showed ninety-one, he sat back in his seat, stunned. Compatibility that high was only heard about in fairytales. It didn't make any sense, but… somehow, he'd found his brother's fairytale lover?

…If he let this opportunity pass by, he'd be a terrible love cupid.

Pulling out his text book (_"Arrows: The Black and White of It"_), he immediately opened it to the half on love. After skimming the table of contents, he cursed and just flipped to the index in back. He looked under L, for love, then carefully slid his finger down the indented line. Finally, he came across the page he needed and flipped to it quickly.

_**White arrows are the most powerful arrows of the love variety. They should be used sparingly and with extreme caution. They signify reverence, youthfulness, and undying love. For use on humans, one need only write the name of the target's affection on the shaft of the arrow and shoot. The arrow will vanish into dust before the target will see it, and they will only feel a short, sharp pain. Effects will be visible almost immediately.***_

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey fiddled nervously with his hands, frowning, and looked around the expansive living room. "Are ya sure this is okay? Your brother won't get too mad?"

"He said I could have a friend over. You're my friend. I choose you," Mokuba answered, shrugging, and pushed him over to the couch. "You sit here. I always sit on the left cushion when I game."

The blond grumbled a little at the younger boy trying to get each handicap he could and flopped onto his seat. He immediately sprang back up with a yelp, rubbing his rump as he turned to glare at the cushion. "What the hell?"

"What? Is something wrong?" Mokuba frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"

Seeing nothing on the couch, the older boy frowned and eased back into his seat, suddenly feeling much more nervous than he had before. "…Thought I sat on somethin'…"

"…I'm gonna go get us some soda," the raven-haired boy stated after a moment of blinking at him. "You want some chips?"

"Okay." Joey watched him go, then frowned again, rubbing the spot on his rear that he was _certain_ had been stabbed by… something. "Damn, that hurt…" Then again, it could have been in his head. Perhaps he'd just gotten so used to being hurt by Seto that he'd just expected his furniture to hurt him too. Yeah, that was probably it.

…What sort of freak was _he,_ thinking furniture would hurt him on purpose? Gah! Seto wasn't that much of a prick! …Right?

"What are you doing here?"

Speak of the devil.

Turning sharply, the blond blushed, and was immediately confused. He'd never blushed around the older boy before. Why now? And what was this sudden feeling of admiration? He'd always noticed that Seto was attractive (usually out of envy), but now he felt acutely aware of it. He even looked good in slacks and a simple button-down shirt! That wasn't fair!

Seto raised an eyebrow when the blond only stared at him, confused by the blush on his face. "…Right. I'll assume this is Mokuba's—_fuuuuck!_" Jerking forward in surprise, the brunet hissed and turned to look back at his thigh.

He saw something white shimmer out of sight and scowled. "Wha—" He paused, then turned and looked back at the blond. "…So. Mokuba's invited you here, right?"

Joey blushed again, eyes wide when he realized that the older boy hadn't said it with his usually cold tone. "…Y-yeah."

"…For videogames or something." Seto glanced around suspiciously, then looked back at the blond.

The suddenly very attractive blond that he had admitted long ago would be the one to break through to him on a personal level, if anyone could at all. He looked so innocent and scared, with his eyes so wide and confused. He wanted to protect that expression of vulnerability. He wanted to keep it all to himself. …Why did he feel that way?

"…I… I should go check on Mokuba," Joey stated breathlessly, breaking the awkward silence. He stood and began to walk past the older boy, feeling very aware of how close he was to him as he moved.

Seto reached up to cup his cheek before he could pass, frowning. "…You've never blushed before. Why now?" he asked quietly, even though he had to admit that the red coloring looked very good on him.

"…I… don't know—" he began, brows furrowing together awkwardly. He gasped as the brunet leaned closer and quickly glanced away.

"I think you know," the older boy replied, unable to help smirking. "So why don't you tell me?" When the blond bit his bottom lip, he snorted. "Unless you're too _afraid_ to tell me."

Joey looked back up at him sharply, scowling. Gritting his teeth, he glared at the brunet before finally spitting, "I think I love you!"

"…You think you love me." Seto frowned, but he was beginning to understand. He watched the blond's expression quickly fading from anger to horror, though, and if what he suspected was true, he _really_ didn't want to hurt the younger boy. "I—"

He hissed as he felt a sharp pain again, but he only remembered the thought that he was going to _kill_ Mokuba before his lips smashed against the blond's in a deep kiss.

Joey mewed in confusion but allowed the brunet to kiss him, letting his eyes drift shut as a hot tongue slipped into his mouth and began toying with his own. "Mm… Mn!" He gasped as he felt the world spin for a moment, startled, and quickly broke the kiss. "K-Kaiba-!" He blushed as he realized the brunet had _actually_ swept him off his feet.

"I love you—" When he couldn't recapture the blond's mouth, Seto began kissing his neck, laving it with his tongue and nipping lightly with his teeth. "I love you-!"

"Uhn! Fuu-! O-oh!" Squirming, the blond whimpered, still confused. "Why are ya—why am I—Ahh…!" He moaned helplessly as the brunet continued to kiss him and whisper multiple 'I love you's, slowly relaxing in his arms and turning his head to catch the corner of the brunet's mouth with his lips.

Taking the blatant hint, the older boy kissed him again as he stepped into his room and kicked the door shut. "Mm…" He placed the blond on the bed and moaned as he felt fingers digging into his hair roughly. "Ah…"

Joey panted as the kiss was broken and stared up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "…Ya look kinda sexy with your hair messed up," he muttered, smiling awkwardly.

"You look sexy," Seto countered, smirking, then leaned over him possessively. Pressing a soft kiss to the blond's ear and smiling as he giggled nervously in response, he whispered, "I want to make love to you, Joey."

Joey shivered and bit his bottom lip, unable to help the tears forming from embarrassment. "M-make love-?"

"Yes. I want to make love to you." The brunet kissed his ear again, trailing his lips down to his jaw lightly. "I'll be so gentle, Joey. I'll make sure you enjoy it."

"…B-but we just—" He blushed as the older boy gently spread his legs and crawled between them. "Oooh…"

"Please, Joey. Let me make love to you." Seto pet his hip gently. "Please. I'll take care of you."

Shivering, Joey looked away, then nodded shortly. "Okay. It's been a while, though—"

"Good." The brunet kissed down his throat slowly. "Now I won't have to get too jealous." He slid a hand up the younger boy's shirt and purred. "I'm the only one who gets to touch you like this now."

"Oh! Nn, God…!" The blond squirmed awkwardly as he was quickly divested of his shirt, blushing under the intense blue gaze. "K-Kaiba—"

Seto placed a finger against his lips and smiled. "Seto. Call me Seto."

"…Seto…" Joey smiled shyly, then reached up to unbutton his shirt. When he remembered what Mokuba had said a few days before, though, his smile began to fade. "You're not gonna sleep with anyone else, are ya? I heard ya sleep with a lot of people…"

"No. You're the only one for me now," the brunet assured. "I promise."

"…Okay." The younger boy spread his shirt open as soon as he'd finished unbuttoning it and blushed again as he trailed his fingers over the brunet's toned torso. "Wow… I thought ya just sat behind a desk all day…"

"Sometimes. Not always. Sometimes I like to work out," Seto teased, smiling. "I don't stay thin just by having sex, you know how."

Joey giggled nervously as the brunet fumbled for something in the bedside table, reaching down to begin unbuttoning his slacks. "Well, I heard that it burns a lot of calori—Fuck! This thing is _huge!_" He blushed in embarrassment when the brunet laughed, unable to help admiring the sound of genuine amusement. "Shut up! I said it's been a while!" he griped, scowling, and jerked his head away.

The brunet cupped his cheek again and kissed him softly. "You're adorable. Don't worry. It'll fit."

"…Shut up…" the younger boy mumbled, and tugged on the hem of his slacks. "Take these off."

Seto rolled his eyes and stood to strip off his pants and boxers, then smirked and grabbed the legs of the blond's jeans. "I hope you don't mind if I do the same for you."

"GAH!" Joey yelped, startled, as the brunet yanked his pants off. "Jeez! Be gentle!"

The brunet chuckled. "I think you'd enjoy it a little rough, but if you say so…"

"Shut up!" the blond exclaimed again, then turned his head away in embarrassment. "…I do not…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey let his eyes drift closed and sighed, sliding his fingers lightly across the welts he'd caused. "…Wow…" He nuzzled the brunet's shoulder and sighed. "That was… amazing."

"Really?" Seto sat up a little and smiled at him, ignoring the tingles of pain from his back. "Just imagine what it will feel like once it doesn't hurt anymore."

Joey giggled nervously and bit his bottom lip. "Yeah. That'll be really good." He peeked up at the older boy again. "…Is it okay if I stay a little while?"

"If you think you're going to be leaving my bed after we made love, you're sadly mistaken," the brunet informed him. "Haven't you ever just basked in the afterglow?"

The blond glanced away again, frowning in embarrassment as he muttered, "…I don't know what an afterglow is."

Seto blinked at him slowly, then sighed and began pulling out of him. "I'll go get a washcloth to clean you up."

"Is that what afterglow is?" Joey sat up a little only to yelp as the brunet shoved him back down. "Ah!"

"Stay here. I'll bring it out," he ordered, then brushed the blond's hair off of his forehead to place a kiss on it. He paused, then quietly added, "I love you, Joey."

The younger boy smiled bashfully. "…I love ya too."

Seto smiled at him awkwardly, then turned to walk into the bathroom. He turned the water on to cover up any noise he might make, then turned and punched the towels hanging on the rack angrily.

When he returned to the bedroom with a damp washcloth, his smile was back in place.

.-.-.-.-.-.

When Mokuba walked into the dining room the next morning, he was surprised to find his brother reading the newspaper and smoking a cigarette. Reading the paper was nothing new, of course; Seto always read the newspaper in the morning, because he said it was the least bias thing he could get news from. It was the cigarette that made him nervous. Seto only smoked when he was really stressed, and he only smoked inside the mansion when he was _really_ pissed off about it.

…It would be better to face him later, he decided.

"Mokuba."

Mokuba cringed, then pasted a smile on his face and turned to face his elder brother. "Seto! You look well-rested!"

Seto slammed the paper down on the table and stood to face him, looking absolutely murderous. "What. Did you. Do?" he hissed, glaring at him.

The younger boy cringed. "…Y-you already know, don't you?"

The brunet's voice was harsh and angry. "I want to hear you _say_ it."

Mokuba looked out the window for a moment, frowning, then sighed and looked down at his feet. "…I… used love arrows on you and Joey," he mumbled softly.

"What. Color?" Seto glared.

The younger boy cringed again. "…W-white."

"White-? How the hell did you get a white arrow? Let alone three!" the brunet sputtered, stunned.

Mokuba ducked his head. "Just two. The last arrow I used on you was red."

Seto stared at his brother in disbelief, feeling hurt and betrayed and confused a million other things. But most of all, he just wanted to know… "Why would you do that?"

"…I…" The raven-haired boy didn't know what to do. He could have sworn he'd heard his brother's voice crack a little, but Seto was too strong for that. Right? "…I just wanted you to be happy," he began, then sighed in frustration. He told himself that those were not tears forming in his eyes. It was just from the smoke of his brother's cigarette. "…I wanted someone else to ask questions that you wouldn't know the answer to. I wanted someone that could draw you out of your shell, make you laugh.

"I wanted a family that functioned like everyone else's, with parents and their children. I know that you and Joey could never replace Mom and Dad. But you're the only one I have and I just… I just needed someone else to look up to. Joey said I could ask him anything I couldn't ask you. There are a lot of things I can't ask you, Seto—not because I'm uncomfortable, but because you just don't know. Like dating. You never could have told me about dating."

He took a deep breath, then sighed shakily, still resolutely ignoring the tears that were now rolling down his cheeks. "…I know I shouldn't have done it. But… but I tested your compatibility. You were ninety-one percent. _Ninety-one._ You and Joey are perfect for each other. I just… I just wanted us to be a family."

Seto stared at him for a few minutes, suddenly feeling crushed—emotionally and physically. "…But what about what _Joey_ wanted, Mokie?" he finally asked. "What if he didn't want to be part of our family?" When the younger boy shrugged, he sighed and turned away, torn between breaking something—anything—he could get his hands on or just smoking his way through his entire pack of cigarettes as quickly as possible.

"…You didn't… Mokuba, you didn't read everything about the white arrows, did you?" he asked finally, not turning to look at him. He knew the answer though; he could sense his brother's confusion. "Mokuba, there's a _reason_ only graduated, experienced cupids are allowed to have black and white arrows." At that, he finally turned toward him. "Mokuba, I woke up this morning and I didn't love Joey."

Mokuba blinked at him, confused and horrified. "B-but… but you loved him last night. I heard you tell him so!"

"White and black arrows only work on cupids if you strike them in _precisely_ the right place," Seto explained, feeling drained. He sagged back into his seat and sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "The effects wore off because you didn't shoot me in the right place. I don't love Joey anymore. But he still loves me."

The younger boy frowned, still confused. "Why don't you just use a black arrow to cancel the effects then, if you dislike it so much?"

"It wouldn't make him forget." Seto took a long drag on his cigarette. "He wouldn't forget last night. He wouldn't forget the love he felt, or how I told him I loved him. A black arrow would only make him hate me, and anything that reminded him of me." He took another drag, then looked back at his brother and sighed. "…That would include you, Mokuba. He'd hate _you_, too."

Mokuba flinched, heart cracking in two at the thought. "…I don't want him to hate me…"

The brunet closed his eyes tightly, sighing again, then stubbed his cigarette out. "I know, Mokie."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Uh… Ow…" Joey groaned and reached down to rub the small of his back. It ached like a bitch. He hadn't been this sore since his gang days after he'd been—

He gasped and sat up straight, immediately choking back a pained groan when his back throbbed. "Jesus on a bicycle-!" He bit his bottom lip and looked around, feeling somehow hurt that the brunet wasn't still in bed with him, then frowned and looked at the clock. "…I've gotta be t' work soon…" Spotting a couple of pain relievers and a glass of water next to the clock, he blushed. At least Seto was still thinking about him.

"…What was that last night…?" He took the pills quickly, then slid out of bed despite the ache and began gathering his clothes to put them on. "…How weird…" He wasn't certain what had happened, but he knew that he still loved him. He tilted his head a little. He couldn't recall feeling this strongly about Seto before…

…Seto had said he'd loved him too. That was equally abrupt, especially since Mokuba had told him that Seto didn't know what to do with friends. But it would explain why Seto was so adamant about keeping him away, why he always dismissed him so quickly. Perhaps he'd had those feelings for quite some time…

Well, in any case, he had to get to work, and he figured Seto had plenty of things to do at his own company. He wouldn't distract him from whatever CEO-ish duties the brunet had. He'd just go to work, and talk to Seto and Mokuba later…

Joey gasped. He had come over to play games with Mokuba. What if Mokuba thought he was just a pervert that had seduced his brother? Oh God! If Mokuba hated him, he'd never forgive himself! …Even if Seto really _had_ instigated it, coming onto him and kissing him.

Biting his bottom lip when he heard quite voices in the living room, he hesitated before trying to tiptoe past it to the door. _'This wasn't nearly as hard to do when I was in the gang. I'm gettin' fuckin' soft.'_

"…Joey?"

Joey turned quickly, startled, to face the two brothers. He blushed when he saw the expressions of confusion that just seemed to scream, 'are you serious?' "…Hi!"

"Hello," the two replied slowly. Seto continued, "What are you doing?"

"…Gotta go t' work," the blond mumbled nervously. "'m sorry."

The older boy managed an awkward smile. "You don't have to be sorry about going to work. Do you want a ride?"

"No! I can walk!" Joey exclaimed quickly, not wanting to impose.

Seto stood. "You won't have time for breakfast if you walk, though."

The blond's stomach rumbled, and he blushed and hurriedly crossed his arms over it. "…I guess, if it won't be puttin' ya out."

"It's fine. Mokuba has something he wants to talk to Yugi about, so we were already going out, anyway." The brunet reached out to ruffle his hair, then placed his hand on the small of his back to lead him to the dining room.

Joey blushed, then smiled and laid his head on the older boy's arm gently. "Hmm. I missed ya when I woke up."

"I've always been an early riser. I just laid there and watched you for about an hour, but then I had to get up."

The blond looked up at him and frowned. "…Some of the things ya say sort of creep me out…"

Seto smirked. "Get used to it. I've been told by a very reliable source that I'm creepy most of the time. Mokuba, come eat breakfast."

Joey turned to look at the younger boy and smiled a little. "We'll play videogames some other time, okay?" His smile faded when the younger boy only stared at him. "Did I say somethin' wrong, Mokuba?"

Mokuba forced a smile and began after them, carefully avoiding his brother's sharp gaze. "No. Everything's fine."

The blond glanced between the two brothers in concern. Somehow, he knew breakfast and the drive following it would be awkward.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba yelped as Seto slammed his hand down on the lock, keeping him from opening the car door. He looked up at him quickly. "Wha-?"

Seto glared at him and icily stated, "I just want you to know that when we get into Yugi's shop you _will_ be telling him what you did and you _will_ apologize and I _will_ have Yugi report his white arrows stolen."

Despite knowing that Seto had every right to do those things, his jaw dropped. "But-! But-! I won't be allowed to graduate from cupidry for three years then!"

"You don't _deserve_ to graduate from cupidry, as you _obviously_ don't know enough, trying to get another cupid to fall in love against his will without knowing how." The brunet dug his nails into the leather. "Not to mention what you did to _Joey_, an innocent human, without thinking of the repercussions, and then thinking I could fix it with a black arrow. How _dare_ you just assume that I'd clean up the mess you made?"

Mokuba flinched. "But… I just…"

"I love you, Mokuba. I know I probably don't say it enough, but I do love you, which is why I've covered for you whenever you've messed up and caused waves." The older boy narrowed his eyes. "But you'd never done something as incredibly _stupid_ and _selfish_ as you have this time. I can't just throw money at this and make it okay. Either Joey loves us or he hates us, and you don't want him to hate you. I don't like the choice you've given me.

"Not only did you not think about how your friend felt, you betrayed _my_ trust. You shot me in the ass with an arrow regardless of whether I wanted the responsibility of a lover or not. I'm already overworked, and I didn't need the added stress. Why didn't you tell me _before_ that you wanted a normal family? Why didn't you tell me _before_ that you wanted someone else to go to for questions? Why didn't you just come to me and talk before you went and decided who your friend and brother would fall in love with?"

Mokuba ducked his head, fighting back the fresh wave of tears forming in his eyes. "…I'm sorry…"

"You're damn right you are," Seto snapped, then unlocked the door and opened it. He waited for his brother to step out before slamming the car door and then walking swiftly for the door of the game shop. "Don't drag your feet. You brought this upon yourself."

Yugi turned as the bell rang and smiled. "Kaiba! Mokuba! Hey!"

"Hello." Seto gave his brother a sharp elbow in the side. "Mokuba has something he wants to say."

Mokuba cringed as the older teen smiled at him unassumingly and felt even worse for betraying not only Seto and Joey's trust, but Yugi's as well. He bit his bottom lip and looked away, then sighed and looked back up at him. "I stole two of your white arrows."

Yugi blinked, smile fading. He stared at the younger boy for a moment, then quickly turned a horrified gaze on Seto. When he saw the brunet's grim expression, he knew immediately that they'd been used. And, knowing how impulsive Mokuba could be, he was terrified for his victims. "Who?" When the raven-haired boy cringed again, he slammed his hands down on the counter and glared at him. "_WHO, MOKUBA?_"

"Me," Seto cut in, and he watched his brother try to make himself smaller. "And Joey."

"…How… could you…" The King of Games mouthed at him wordlessly, then turned his gaze on the younger boy. He continued to gape, horrified that he would do something so… so completely irresponsible. "…To Joey? And your brother?"

"…I just wanted a family like everyone else…" Mokuba whispered, then ducked his head. "I know that's not the right reason. No reason is really good enough. But… but it made sense at the time." He looked up at the other boy hopefully. "Do you know anything to take it back, Yugi? _Anything?_"

Yugi stared at him, then glanced up at the brunet. When he received a small nod, he looked back at the younger boy. "I may have something that could help. It's a white book with black and red writing on the cover. It's in my room somewhere. Could you go get it for me while I get some details from your brother?"

The raven-haired boy nodded quickly and rushed upstairs. "I'll be right back!"

"…It will take him forever to find that book. I think it's in the attic." Yugi looked up at the brunet and frowned. "Kaiba? You know there's nothing to be done about it now, right?"

Seto sighed wearily and walked over to lean against the counter. "I know. Mokuba doesn't." He ran a hand over his face. "I'm so tired, Yugi. I don't know what to do anymore."

"…You could use a black arrow," the smaller boy began.

The brunet stared at him for a few minutes, and the younger teen saw in that moment just how much older he was—not because he'd been born a couple of years before him, but because he'd seen so much more, had dealt with so much more than he ever would have to. He looked tired. He looked sad. He looked resigned. And Yugi realized that Seto had always looked that way when Mokuba was gone from his side.

"No. No, I couldn't live with him hating Mokuba." Seto rested his chin on his laced fingers and sighed. "…That would be the opposite of what Mokuba was trying to do." He sighed again, then let his eyes drift over to the smaller teen. "…Do you have any more white arrows, Yugi?"

Yugi frowned and scratched the back of his head. "I have a few, but even if I didn't, I could just ask Grandpa for one of his… Why?"

"…I want you to find the exact spot on me to make the white arrow work. I want to love Joey." He offered a bitter smile. "To be honest, loving Joey last night wasn't bad. Besides, I don't think I could live with the fact that he'd hate me, thinking I'd taken advantage of him and slept with him because he said he'd loved me. For some reason, the thought of losing his respect is much more painful than it probably should be to me."

"…Is that really what you want?" the younger teen asked after a moment. "Kaiba, are you okay?"

Seto turned his gaze away, the bitter smile twisting his face into such a pathetic expression that Yugi looked away from him in embarrassment. "…What I want doesn't matter anymore. It hasn't mattered since we were adopted by Gozaburo. It was my fault we were put in such a bad situation. Mokuba's happiness comes before mine. And he'll be happy with Joey as part of our family."

Yugi stared at him. He wasn't happy about it, but he understood. "…Alright. I'll go get a tape measure. Take off your shirt."

Seto began unbuttoning his shirt and grabbed a pen off the counter to begin making the basic markings the smaller boy would use for his measurements. When the younger boy returned, he helped him to take the measurements necessary. Then, he watched Yugi carefully letter Joey's name on the shaft of the arrow.

"This'll hurt," Yugi warned, pressing the tip of the arrowhead to the one spot where it would actually take effect.

Seto sighed. "I've already been shot in the ass twice. This should be fine."

The younger boy looked up at him in confusion. "Twice? Why twice-?"

"…I don't think you want to know," the brunet muttered awkwardly.

Yugi stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay. On three then. One… TWO!"

"GAAAHHHHH! YOU SAID THREE!" Seto roared, glaring at him.

The smaller boy raised an eyebrow. "…I did? Silly me. I could have sworn I said two."

The brunet narrowed his eyes at him. "You're surprisingly devious when it comes to hurting people. I think you enjoy it."

"Well… Maybe I just enjoy hurting _you_."

Yugi's smile was so bright that Seto could honestly say it creeped him out. "Thanks… I guess…" He took a step back awkwardly. "…Stop smiling at me like that. You're freaking me out."

The smile stayed in place. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Seto looked away and frowned. "…Joey… Joey can never know about this."

"He'll ask about the tattoo. What are you going to tell him? You got it on a whim?" Yugi raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"…I'll tell him the truth if he asks," the brunet began thoughtfully. "I'll tell him I'm a cupid. I'll show him the things he needs to see for him to believe it. But… I'll tell him that I've liked him for a long time. I was just too afraid to get close to him because the side of emotions I deal with aren't really conducive for… a normal relationship." He smiled sadly. "The funny thing is… I sort of expected it would always be Joey if it was anyone at all. And Mokuba said we had ninety-one percent compatibility."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Ninety-one? Are you sure he did the test right?"

"No. I'm not sure of anything." He let out a bitter chuckle. "But I found myself wondering… if I'd had the chance… Would I have fallen in love with Joey on my own?" He sighed, then stood up straight and looked back at the smaller boy. "Yugi? Do you have a light pink arrow?"

"Why do you need _that_ one?" Yugi scowled.

"I'd like it if Mokuba couldn't remember… this," he motioned at the measuring tape and the pen. "He'll figure it out."

"I could just put it away." He frowned as he heard an 'aha!' from his room. "I'll go get it."

Mokuba pounded down the stairs, holding the book up triumphantly. "Found it! Do you think it wil—" He paused at the counter, taking in the tape measure and the pen, the blank expression on his brother's face. After a moment of puzzling, he felt as if his heart had stopped. "Seto, you… You didn't…"

"I didn't have any other choice," Seto stated quietly.

"But—" the younger boy began.

Seto watched him suddenly flinch, then swoon and fall back in a dead faint. "…That seemed unnecessary."

"It takes two of these to cause admiration so strong that you forget what the person has done a few seconds before," Yugi muttered, catching the younger boy. "Unfortunately, it's usually so strong it knocks him out, too."

The brunet stared at him for a moment. "…Why do you know that?"

Yugi looked up at him and smiled awkwardly. "Grandpa still doesn't remember who broke his antique vase."

"…I have underestimated your deviousness for _years._"

"…Shut up. And take him home."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey groaned as he finally stepped out of the bakery, cracking his back slowly. "Jesus, standing for more than five hours is just torture…"

"Hard day?"

The blond yelped and jumped, turning quickly, and blushed as he found Seto leaning against a bright red sports car. "Seto?"

Seto smiled. "You want to go for a drive?"

"I didn't think ya'd pick me up, too!" He couldn't help feeling happy. The drive to work had been sort of awkward and tense. Apparently, it wasn't because of him. When the brunet held his arms out to him, he giggled and leaned into them, wrapping his arms around his neck. "That makes me really happy!"

"…I'm glad." The older boy leaned his face into the blond's neck and sighed quietly. He had no idea that it was all Mokuba's doing that they were in love. He leaned back. "I love you, Joey."

Joey smiled bashfully and turned his gaze on the brunet's throat instead. "I love ya too." He noticed the sad lilt of his smile and frowned in concern. "Are you okay? Ya look a little… down."

Seto twisted his face into a genuine smile at his concern. "No, I'm fine." He leaned in to kiss the corner of the younger boy's mouth. "I'm sorry. Just a little tired. I guess I didn't sleep well enough last night."

The blond turned his head to brush their lips together, then peered up at him skeptically. "Was it because I was there? I heard that sometimes having someone sleepin' with ya when you're not used to it makes it awkward and it gets hard t' sleep."

"That's true. I've never let anyone stay through the night with me," the older boy admitted. "You're the first one."

Joey blushed and hid his face in his chest, even though he did feel really happy about it. "And I'm the last one, right?"

"Of course you are." Seto kissed his temple, smiling a little, then glanced at his car. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

"Goin' home and nappin'. Why?"

"…Are you too tired to go out for dinner then?" He smiled as the blond immediately leaned back to glare at him. "Is that a no?"

"I AM NEVER TOO TIRED FOR FOOD." He suddenly smiled. "Let's get some food t' go. We can go for a drive outta the city and eat it. Like a picnic. We can swing by an' get Mokuba, too!"

Seto tilted his head a little. Mokuba was still sulking in his room and feeling guilty. He also had to write a research paper about every color of arrow—both for love _and_ hate. It was his punishment for the theft and illegal use of the white arrows, and it was due a week from now. Mokuba had said he had no intention of going anywhere until it was finished so he could instead be on probation, rather than be held back in cupidry schooling for three years.

"…He's a little busy today." He flashed the blond a smile. "Are you up to a picnic with just me?"

Joey blushed again and nodded quickly. "Yeah. I'm up for anything with ya, Ka—Seto."

"Hmm. That's going to take a little getting used to, isn't it. I won't get mad if you slip up and call me Kaiba." He lifted a hand to brush the blond's hair out of his eyes, then chuckled quietly when the younger boy looked up at him in confusion. "Sorry. I just like being able to see your eyes."

"…I'm probably overdue for a haircut anyway." The blond smiled again. "Let's go, okay? And could we get something that isn't heavy?"

Seto nodded and waited until they were both seated in the car before replying, "We could get some sushi."

"Oh! And miso soup, too! And tempura! Oh, and gyoza," Joey added. "And some tsukemono. Something pickled sounds good right now."

The brunet chuckled. "Anything for dessert? Ice-cream is out of the question."

"Um… cookies, maybe? Chocolate chip?" Joey frowned. "What sounds good to you?"

"Well, we're getting mostly Japanese food. Why don't we get a Japanese dessert?"

"…Um, I usually eat cookies or ice-cream when I have dessert, so I don't really know much about them. I guess they're okay, but I like chocolate." The blond sighed and leaned his head in his hand. "Well, I've said a lot. Why don't you pick dessert." He blushed as the older boy wrapped his arm around his shoulders, relaxing a little when he felt fingers playing lightly with his hair.

Seto hummed. "How about mochi? The sushi shop I'm thinking of makes them with red-bean paste, green tea, and chocolate. I'll get more chocolate."

Joey beamed at him. "Okay. If ya tell me what my half of the bill is, I'll pay ya back on my next pay check."

"…Yeah," the brunet deadpanned. "You're not paying for any of it. And don't argue, because I could buy the entire shop and still have money left over, so buying dinner is no big deal." _'Even though the food you eat in one day could feed a small family for a week.'_

"…But… you should let me pay for somethin'!" the younger boy exclaimed.

Seto scowled. "Abso-fucking-lutely not."

"Well ya gotta lemme do somethin'!"

"Pay for the drinks, Joey."

Joey narrowed his eyes. "…I don't know how we won't tear each others' throats out when you're such an overbearin' butt."

Seto tugged him up against his side. "Well, guess what. You're stuck with me, so we'll have to learn to deal with each other."

"…Whatever," the blond mumbled, nuzzling against his shoulder. "I'll figure out somethin'."

'_You have no idea just how difficult that's going to be.'_ Seto sighed and held him tighter, leaning his cheek on top of the blond's hair for a moment. _'This isn't how it should have happened—how we should have ended up.'_

He quickly buried his feelings of regret for what had happened and instead focused on the warm feeling he got whenever he thought about Joey. Thinking about his regrets would just make him bitter, and Joey didn't deserve that, especially when it wasn't his fault. Joey only deserved the love he was expecting. And Seto would be sure he got it.


	46. Mating Game

Author's Note: SO. FUCKING. DISJOINTED. OTL I really don't like how I did this, and I may rewrite/reformat it sometime in the future. I just needed to get this idea out of my head. Just keep in mind when you're reading that there WILL be a happy ending for everyone in the end. Ish.

In any case, as a little background for the wolf packs, they're wolf demons that just prefer to take human forms, because it's more practical to feed those forms since they're not as big. These human-formed demons are perfectly capable of turning into a monstrous form; they just choose not to.

Yeah. -_- Anyway, if you have any questions that weren't answered in the story, feel free to send those questions to me in a PM and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

* * *

Mating Game

Joey tried to ignore the way his ears pressed back against his skull and his tail curled up against his stomach as he felt his mate slide out of bed. He tried to ignore the way his heart broke when he realized that his mate didn't care for him. He tried to ignore the fact that even though he admired and cared for his mate, his mate detested his existence.

He tried to ignore the fact that he wouldn't even be there if his father hadn't been such a dick to his mate's pack that a peace treaty requiring inter-pack mating among the leading families had been the only thing that had him in his mate's bed.

Once he heard the door close, the blond slid out of bed and put on some pants, then carefully made his way out of the room. He sniffed for his mate's scent and, once he found it, began tracking it. If his mate was going to be sleeping with someone else, he at least wanted to know who it was, so he could hate him or her properly.

He was confused when he realized that his mate was heading to the servants' quarters, though. He'd thought the man would have better taste than that. He'd always seemed so refined, and proper—a dalliance with a servant seemed somehow beneath him.

Joey almost yelped when he turned a corner and nearly walked into his mate, then scurried backward. Peeking out around the corner, he strained his ears forward so he wouldn't miss anything.

Seto looked around carefully, then walked up to the door leading to the servants' quarters and knocked. When the door opened, he simply said, "I'd like to speak with Kisara."

The servant that had answered the door nodded and retreated, closing the door softly. A few moments later, the door opened and closed again. Joey couldn't see who Kisara was, unfortunately, because as soon as she got out the door, Seto had her in his arms and held her tightly, blocking her from view.

Joey scowled, then sighed and retreated back to their room. At least he knew the servant's name, now. He could just go see her while his mate was off taking care of business at the edge of the pack's territory tomorrow. He'd be gone for two or three days, giving him plenty of time to see who the girl that his mate slept with instead of him was.

Scowl fading, the blond slowed to a stop, lifting a hand to timidly touch the bite mark on his neck. He'd only had sex with his mate once, for consummation of their relationship; aside from that, the brunet hadn't touched him once. Joey knew that Seto hadn't wanted to mate with him, but it hurt that the older boy didn't even want to try getting to know him or even touch him.

Seto would probably spend most of the night out of their bed, instead staying in a guestroom with his servant and mistress. He didn't want to spend the night in their bed, alone, knowing that his mate was sating himself with someone else. It just made him feel pathetic.

Bypassing the door to their room, he stopped at a door a few rooms down, knocking timidly on the large door. "Akako?"

The door opened after a few moments, showing a taller man with long black hair tied back into a ponytail and red eyes. His ebony lupine ears twisted forward, eyes nearly glowing in the darkness. When he saw the blond in front of him, though, his lip curled up in a disgusted sneer. "_What?_"

Joey flinched and took a step back. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered ya." When the raven-haired wolf growled quietly, he turned to scamper back to his room. "I'm sorry-!"

"_Wait._"

The blond wailed as the older man grabbed the back of his neck and allowed himself to be dragged back. "I'm sorry Akako I should've thought before I woke ya up I forgot ya don't like bein' disturbed please don't kill me!"

Akako growled again, then sighed in annoyance. "…Why are you here, Joey? Shouldn't you be with your _mate_ right now?" When the younger boy flinched, he frowned, suddenly concerned. "…Where is your mate, Joey?"

Joey's ears wilted as he looked away. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to admit that his mate was seeing someone else; that was just too humiliating after having to give up his own personal happiness for the good of the pack.

"…I see." Akako stepped back and opened the door wider. "The bed is small, but it's warm." He managed a small smile when the younger boy looked up at him. "If your mate asks about my scent on you, tell him you had a nightmare, couldn't find him, and I'm the only one you know that could comfort you right now."

He tried to ignore the whimper he heard when the blond scampered over to his bed, and he tried to ignore the way the once proud wolf's tail curled up against his belly in shame. Once he climbed into the bed, he ignored the needy way the younger boy cuddled up against him, and he tried to ignore the feeling of tears trickling down his chest from where the blond pressed his face against him.

And he tried desperately to ignore the feeling that this wasn't fair for either of them.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'll be back in a few days. Try not to let anyone push you around," Seto ordered as he finished packing his bag.

"Okay. Ya need anything else?" Joey followed him to the front door of the castle, where the rest of the higher-ups in the pack were waiting for them. He paused just inside of the door and bit his bottom lip.

The brunet turned to look back at him, frowning. "No, I have everything." He paused, glanced at the men waiting for him expectantly, then reached out to perhaps touch the younger boy's cheek.

Joey tried not to be too eager, but he couldn't help holding his breath in anticipation. He desperately wanted his mate to touch him, even just gently and with no intentions of having sex with him. He felt his breath escape in a whoosh when the brunet immediately pulled his hand back and shook his head, feeling heartbroken. His mate wouldn't even touch him to keep up the impression of liking him in front of his pack mates.

"…Be safe," he whispered miserably, ducking his head. He wondered what Kisara had that he didn't that his mate couldn't even bear touching him innocently. "Good hunt."

Seto nodded and turned to leave without glancing back at him. "Take care of him, Akako."

The blond gasped in surprise and turned. He hadn't even sensed Akako come up behind him. "Ee-?"

"I told him you've been having a lot of nightmares lately," Akako stated quietly, watching the group leave, then turned his penetrating gaze on the blond. "You're planning on confronting his mistress while he's gone, aren't you?"

Joey dropped his gaze immediately. "I… I don't know about confrontin' her. I just… I just wanna see her. I wanna see how she's better than me. I mean, she must be better than me. Seto goes t' see her every night."

"You must be a complete masochist," the raven-haired wolf muttered, placing a hand on his shoulder and steering him away from the door. "Seeing her will only hurt you. You know that, right?"

"Are ya tellin' me not t' go see her?" the blond asked quietly, frowning.

"I'm saying you may not like what you find. You didn't have any serious relationships when your parents decided that you'd mate with Seto instead of your sister, but you don't know if that's the same for him. Perhaps he was really in love with her and it was only duty that made him say yes to mating with you." Akako raised an eyebrow. "Would you be able to handle that, if he was in love with her and felt that sex beyond consummation would be betraying her?

"He's done his duty to the pack. He mated with you. That was all that was necessary. He doesn't necessarily need to touch you to continue any charade that he likes you. I admit that he could at least spend one night with you, but can you really expect him to give up the woman he loves after mating with someone simply because it was his duty? He's from a different pack, Joey. They're loyal to one person at a time, and loyalty includes not touching others unnecessarily. Just because _we_ touch each other all the time doesn't mean—" The black wolf cut himself off with a whine. "Hey, don't cry. I'm just trying to make you see reason—"

Joey jerked his head away and swiped at his eyes. "I don't care. I'm allowed t' visit my family. If they don't smell him on me, they're gonna know somethin's wrong and they'll be angry. And if I don't visit, because I don't want them t' know I don't smell like him, they'll still get angry, and then our matin' would be pointless and the packs would start arguin' again! I just… I just want him t' make it at least _look_ like we're happy." He couldn't help a quiet sob and grabbed his ears tightly in frustration. "Why doesn't anyone care that he smells like _her _instead of _me?_"

"I told you that they're not _like_ us," Akako scolded, but drew the blond into his arms anyway. "Come here… You're lucky your mother sent me with you. And you're lucky I accepted."

"Ya didn't have a choice. You're an omega. Ya had t' do whatever anyone told ya," the younger boy answered harshly. "You're only here 'cause if ya go back everyone's gonna get mad at ya and maybe even kill ya. You're not here because ya wanna be. You're not here because ya care or anything!"

The older man stayed silent for a few moments, then quietly explained, "I'm only an omega because I choose to be, Joey. If I had a reason to fight my way up the rank, I could. I choose not to because I don't care for all of that political crap. Look how much good it did _you._" He stroked the blond's hair and sighed. "I may not have cared about you when I first came out here, but I care now that I've gotten to know you. Doesn't that count for anything?"

The blond huffed and hid his face in his neck. "…I guess it does." He clenched the raven-haired man's shirt in his fingers tightly and shuddered. "I wish he'd touch me. I wish he'd do somethin' t' show he doesn't despise me."

"Well, when you think about it… he probably does," Akako muttered.

Joey leaned back, appalled that he'd say that, then smacked him as hard as he could. "_How is that s'posed t' make me feel any better, ya jerk!_"

The older man immediately took a step back, raising his hands apologetically. "That was probably uncalled for."

"Ugh, you're so insensitive! No wonder none the girls pursued ya! You're hot but ya got as much tact as a brick!"

"…Like you have more than me," Akako hissed.

Joey glared at him. "At least I know not t' tell people they're fat, ugly, or hated! Jeez, ya coulda gotten laid so many times and ya ruined everything by openin' your _stupid_ mouth!"

The black wolf seemed surprised. "Really? They thought I'd look good enough to sleep with?"

The blond threw his hands up in disgust. "You're an idiot. I know I'm oblivious, but _you_ are an _idiot._"

Akako sighed. "You would know, wouldn't you."

Joey glared at him, then huffed and turned to stomp away. Any satisfaction he might have gotten from leaving him was lost, though, when the black-haired man drifted after him, ever the watchful guardian.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do this?" Akako asked one last time. When the blond shot him a glare, he held his hands up. "You've been crying a lot lately. I worry you won't have any moisture left in your body if you cry anymore."

Joey glared at him a little longer, then huffed. "Shut up. I haven't been cryin' that much."

"…Right. Just so long as you stop waking me up in the middle of the night," the older man muttered, scowling, and the blond at least had the decency to flinch.

"Err… I'm still very sorry about that."

"Of course you are." The raven-haired man glared at him. "Well, go on. Otherwise, let's go."

The blond shivered; Akako was much grumpier when it was late—grumpier still when he was being kept awake against his will. "Okay, okay, I'm goin'." He walked up to the door to the servants' quarters and hesitated a moment. When he heard the older man growl impatiently, he hurried to rap his knuckles against the hard wood.

It took a few moments, but eventually, the door opened. Joey blinked at the boy who looked up at him, then smiled awkwardly. "May I speak with Kisara, please?"

The boy glanced back at Akako, then looked back up at him. "…You should go stand with your friend when she comes out," he whispered, then disappeared from sight as the door clicked closed.

Joey turned to look at the older man and frowned. "Wha-?"

"I think he means I should protect you," Akako stated, shrugging. "In any case, perhaps he's right."

The blond blinked at him, then shrugged and began to walk over to him. When he heard the door open again, however, he had to turn back to it, almost afraid to allow his vulnerable back to it. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes met a blue even more intense than his mate's, and he suddenly understood why the brunet kept coming down to the servants' quarters night after night. She was _beautiful._

Her long white hair flowed down her back like water, somehow making even the drab dress she was wearing look admirable. Her eyes were piercing and commanded respect, as if she had been an alpha in another life. Her white ears, perfectly matching her hair, were long and shaped widely, and her tail shined silver in the light. Her face was pale and unblemished, and her skin looked smooth and soft.

Joey became aware of just how soft it _wasn't_ when her palm struck his cheek. "Ngh!"

"You brazen little _bitch!_" she snarled, teeth flashing as he fell to the ground. She went to lunge at him and roared in fury. "First you steal my lover and now you come down to mock me!"

The blond cringed and immediately ducked, using his arms to cover his throat in case she seriously wanted to kill him. When he heard a startled yelp and a thud, however, he hesitantly peeked up from beneath his bangs, still carefully covering his neck.

Akako bared his teeth threateningly. "I believe that that is _quite_ enough." He tightened his grip around her throat and growled when she tried to struggle, slamming her against the wall firmly. "I'll admit that he was stupid to come down here, but for you to assume he'd come down here to mock you is _equally_ as stupid when _his_ mate is the one that comes down here for _you._"

At that, she stopped struggling, but she still looked incredibly pissed. But, instead of trying to kill them both, she merely nodded. "I see your point." Once she was released, she immediately turned her glare back on the blond. "If that wasn't your reason for coming here, then what _was?_"

Joey scampered behind Akako and peeked over his shoulder at her. "…I just… wanted t' see who he kept comin' to." He turned his head away and bit his bottom lip. "…He leaves every night. I just wanted t' know who he cared about so much that he left _every_ night. And last night, I didn't get t' see ya when ya came out t' meet him." He hid his face in the older man's shoulder. "I see why he comes down now. He's… He's got really good taste."

Akako did everything he could not to lose his temper. _'You're getting my shirt wet!'_ But he didn't bring any attention to the tears he knew the blond was shedding. He had noticed that Kisara was much prettier than his young charge; he could only assume that the younger boy had realized it as well. "Joey, why don't you go get ready for bed."

The blond looked up at him in confusion. "Ya want me t' leave without ya-?"

"I will be going to bed as well, shortly. …And you're sleeping on the floor. You hog the bed." But he knew that he'd let the younger boy on the bed with him; his bed-hoggery was forgivable when he was so distraught and lonely. "I would like to speak with Ms. Kisara privately."

Joey frowned, brows furrowing together, then took a step away from him, keeping his eyes on his feet. "Oh. Okay. T-take your time," he whispered, then turned and began up the stairs.

Akako watched him go until he was out of sight, frowning a little as well. He'd have to explain later that it wasn't to proposition her or even just talk; he needed to speak with her and ask her for a favor. …Perhaps it would have been better if Serenity had been chosen to mate with Seto. She hadn't been ridiculed and taunted by her father the way Joey had.

"Well? What do you want from me?" Kisara spat, crossing her arms as she turned her glare from the retreating blond to him.

Turning back to her, he sighed, then crossed his arms as well and went to lean against the wall. "I'd like to ask a favor of you. –Not because he asked me to, and not because I want Seto to forget all about you," he added when he saw her eyes flash dangerously. "For Joey's health. I understand that you have every right to hate him, but think about what would happen if Joey died for reasons that could have been prevented. The planned mating might as well not have happened."

At that, she frowned, still looking angry, but not as hostile as she had been. "You have a point. Alright. I'm listening."

Akako looked away from her and sighed again. "…Joey and I… The pack we're from is very affectionate. I'm sure you've heard rumors that I'm Joey's lover, because my scent is all over him and his is all over me. It's a complete and utter lie." He glanced over at her and smiled a little as he watched her cheeks tint pink and embarrassment. "I'll admit that we touch each other a lot, and sometimes he sleeps with me, but that's only because he's lonely."

Kisara huffed and turned away from him. "How can he be lonely when _you're_ with him?"

"Because I'm not his mate. I'm not from this pack, either. How is he supposed to feel accepted when everyone touched everyone else in our pack and no one touches him here? Especially his mate?"

The white-haired woman growled immediately. "You want me to tell _my_ lover to touch someone else? To be _intimate_ with that little _tramp—_"

"HE IS NOT A TRAMP," Akako snarled, turning to glare at her and making her shut her mouth. "He is oblivious and he is gullible, but he is _not_ a tramp. He's here because his parents chose him over his sister to mate with your 'lover' and all he wants is a little acknowledgement. If you _ever _call him a tramp or _anything_ so cruel again, I will rip you apart myself, no matter _what_ your fucking _lover_ may do to me in retaliation."

She felt her tail curl up between her legs instinctively, and she squeaked in alarm. "I…"

"Your _lover_ doesn't have to have sex with him," the raven-haired man hissed, the fur on his tail bristling as he narrowed his eyes. "I hate that everyone assumes that everyone in our pack is some sex-crazed floozy because we touch each other so much. We touch each other to show affection. I know you're jealous. I know you're hurt. I know you don't want to share the man you love—and, apparently, that loves you back. But I cannot stand watching my friend waste away because his mate—the man he was _required_ to mate with—won't even touch him.

"You know, the first words he said to Joey today were, 'Stay out of my dresser'? Joey had gotten so desperate to be covered in his mate's scent that he wrapped himself in one of his shirts and then put it back before he could notice. The only reason Seto _did_ notice was because Joey had gotten his scent all over his shirt, too." Akako sighed and lifted a hand to cover his face. "He's becoming increasingly desperate for at least a little of his attention. Seto doesn't even have to _touch _him, as long as he can manage to talk to him. If Joey finally gets to the point where he begs Seto to talk to him, and Seto says no…" He frowned, then sighed again in frustration. "I don't know what Joey will do, but I'm sure that whatever good this arranged mating has done would immediately be ruined by it."

Kisara frowned and looked down at her feet. "…What a needy little bitch," she whispered, brows furrowing together. Now that she thought about it, he hadn't looked angry when the blond had looked at her. He'd just looked… sad. "…I'll talk to him. If nothing changes in a week, come down here and tell me. I'll make Seto see reason." She smiled awkwardly. "He likes reason."

Akako nodded, relieved. "Thank you."

"…So… when Seto comes down to make love to me… Joey _doesn't_ go to have sex with you?" she asked after a moment, smile fading. "Because that's what everyone thinks, especially Seto."

"No. I don't get to sleep a lot," the older man replied. "So I get really pissed off when I finally get to sleep and Joey disturbs me to ask if he can sleep with me until Seto returns to their bed. He just snuggles up to me, cries a little, then falls asleep. …He told me that if he snuggles up to Seto when he's asleep, Seto shoves him away so hard and so fast that Joey falls out of bed." He couldn't help the way his tail bristled angrily. "He can't _help_ it. Wolves from our pack just snuggle up to whatever's warm."

He jerked his head back to her and snarled. "If he does it again, I'm not going to handle it well. Joey ran into my room without knocking and hid under my bed for _hours,_ just crying his heart out because not only had he been shoved away, but because it had _hurt_ and Seto didn't even ask if he was okay. Not only did he wake me up after I'd finally managed to fall asleep, but he wouldn't even tell me what was wrong and he wouldn't let me touch him. A WOLF FROM OUR PACK SHOULD _NEVER_ FEEL LIKE HE HAS TO SHRINK FROM SOMEONE'S TOUCH!"

Kisara took a few steps backward as she saw his eyes glow with fury. "Alright. I'll tell him. I'll talk to him. I'll do everything I can to help you help Joey. Please calm down."

Akako growled angrily, ears twisted flat against his skull. "Mother fucker. It's so hard for me to sleep. I swear to God, if your _lover_ hurts Joey so that he has to wake me up _one more time,_ I'm going to kill _EVERYONE!_ …Except Joey. Because none of this was his fault." He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. "Okay. Okay… I'm going to bed," he stated firmly. "I'm going to bed and I'm going to sleep." He turned his head toward her and glared. "But if it does happen again, _you will be one of the first to go._"

She smiled nervously and held her hands up in a placatory manner. "I will _definitely_ talk to Seto about it when he comes back. You may have to deal with Joey in your room one more night, but I _will_ talk to Seto that night."

The raven-haired wolf growled again. "You damn well better. I _wasn't_ the omega because I couldn't fight my way up. I was the omega because I _chose not to._"

She chuckled anxiously as she watched him stalk away, then fell back against the wall and sighed in relief. "I thought he'd really kill me…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Did you… miss me?" Seto frowned as the blond's fork clattered back onto his plate when he looked up at him in shock. "…What?"

The younger boy blushed a little and looked back down at his plate, pushing some of the vegetables around on it. "…It's nothing. I just… Yeah. Yeah, I missed ya," he answered quietly. "It was quieter without ya here."

The brunet tilted his head. "Quieter?"

"Well, ya… It's just that…" Joey sighed and finally speared a piece of broccoli with his fork. "…It's quiet even when ya are here," he muttered sadly. "'cause ya never talk t' me then, either." He saw the brunet's hand still over his own plate and immediately knew he'd said too much. Standing quickly, he wiped his face with his napkin and exclaimed, "I'm finished. Thank you for the meal!"

Seto frowned as he watched the blond scamper away, then turned his gaze on the younger boy's escort. The raven-haired man sighed and looked at his plate longingly before he, too, got up from the table, striding quickly in the same direction the other boy had fled. He looked back at his own food and sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Kisara had been right. While he had been trying to be loyal to the woman he loved, he'd neglected the person he'd actually _mated _with and, in doing so, had alienated him. He'd seen the blond's tail beginning to curl up between his legs as he'd fled, ears pressed flat against his skull. He'd made his mate feel as if he couldn't even be honest with him.

He felt the scratches along his back throb painfully at the thought that the relationship could never be salvaged, and he shuddered when he remembered the threat his lover had given him.

"_If you ever put me in a position like that again, I'll rip your dick off and this won't even be an issue! I thought that man would __**kill**__ me!"_

He shuddered again. He had never seen her so angry.

"_Besides, that poor thing looked so pathetic that even __**I**__ had to pity him! Me! The other woman!"_ Her face had turned serious. _"Seto, when he looked at me, I saw something in him break. You mated with him for the good of both of the packs. If you continue to neglect him, he'll be so damaged that you might as well have not mated with him when his family sees him. Talk to him. Get to know him. He doesn't look like a terrible person. …His friend seems to think he's nice."_

If he'd ruined their relationship before it had even begun, then Kisara was right; he might as well have not mated with him at all, especially when he went to visit his family or his family came to visit him. He didn't want that. …He just… didn't know how to fix the damage he'd already caused by being so callous with him already.

"Is everything okay, Seto?" Mokuba asked innocently, peering up at him as he bit into his meat. He peered after the blond and smiled. "Joey's really fun to play with. Well, sometimes he creeps me out because he just touches my hand for no reason, and I worry because when he doesn't think anyone's looking, he seems so sad, but other than that, he's a really nice guy. He's really good at card games!"

Seto looked at him and raised an eyebrow, concerned. "He touches your hand?"

"Yeah, but when I see how he and Akako are all over each other without being romantic, I figure it's just because he doesn't know how to show affection any other way. And it's funny to see Roland get uncomfortable when Akako is talking to him and gets right up in his face!" The younger boy laughed. "Neither of them know what personal space is!"

"…So… they just touch each other because they can?"

"Well, yeah, Seto. Their pack is touchy-feely," Mokuba replied, smile fading a little. "Even I saw that when we went to their territory to talk to them. Everyone that was walking together was holding hands, even the older people, and I saw a group of people sitting under a tree as they were mending clothes—they were lying across each others' laps or had their legs hooked around someone else's or were leaning on each other. Gosh, even Joey was draped over his little sister."

Seto leaned his head in his hand and sighed, scowling in frustration at his own obliviousness. Joey wasn't trying to get him to have sex with him; he just wanted attention, and the only way he knew to do that was by touching him and asking with his eyes. He still remembered the night he'd woken to find Joey snuggled up against him and, in his confusion and disgust, had literally kicked him out of the bed.

He realized later that he probably should have offered some sort of apology, but it was only after Kisara told him how much time Joey had spent crying and hiding from his one friend in the pack that had accompanied him to his new home that he knew how badly he'd hurt him. He wasn't a very touchy-feely person himself, but he hadn't really needed to just kick the blond away.

"…Card games, you said?"

"Yeah, he rocks at poker. He had me in my underwear so fast I—"

Seto scowled. "Your underwear."

"Uh… Well, when you play strip poker, you're supposed to—"

"I _know_ what the game is, Mokuba. And you're much too young to be playing it."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"They play cards now," Akako stated quietly, taking a sip of his tea. "Seto told me to get lost. I figured you might enjoy some company while your lover is entertaining his mate."

Kisara stirred some sugar into her tea and sighed. "I should be working."

"I should be getting the crap beaten out of me at home." The black wolf sighed and rubbed his temple. "I'm glad that you're limiting your sex to four nights a week. And somehow, Joey's found the confidence to just slip into my room while I'm dozing rather than waking me up entirely. I like that."

She blinked in confusion. "He still sleeps with you? Seto was under the impression that Joey stayed in their bed all night. He's always there when Seto returns."

"You both seem to underestimate his sense of hearing. Or you overestimate how quietly Seto walks. Joey can hear him coming soon enough that he can slip back into their room before Seto gets there." Akako muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'arrogant assholes.'

Kisara hummed thoughtfully and took a sip of her own tea. "I see. I'll mention that to him so he doesn't think too highly of himself. He's certain that things are moving forward quickly. Perhaps a setback could do him some good." She smiled mischievously. "Though I have to admit, I laughed when he came to me the other day and the first thing out of his mouth was 'he touched my hand.' He sounded so excited—or, well, as excited as Seto gets. He was happy."

"Ah. Joey was happy too." The older man chuckled. "He came in that night, and I hadn't quite fallen asleep yet. He said 'I touched his hand and he didn't slap me away.' He doesn't know I heard him because I was too tired to respond, but then he told me that he's really starting to like Seto." He sighed. "I'm sure that upsets you, and Joey will probably be hurt in the end because Seto will only ever love you, but I thought you ought to know. Perhaps you can warn Seto and have him nip that in the bud."

She hummed again. "…Perhaps." She stared down into her tea for a moment, then quietly asked, "Why don't you ever touch me?"

Akako glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that Seto is your lover, and your pack doesn't view touching the same way ours does."

"Well…" Kisara blushed a little and looked away from him. "I was just wondering, of course. I don't care either way." She blushed even more as she felt his fingers trace lightly over her wrist before he withdrew his hand and couldn't help a startled squeak. "Ngh!"

"…I sort of knew it would make you feel more awkward than flattered, too," he added, smiling a little, and reached out to grab one of the lemon tarts she'd brought in with the tea. "You're cute when you blush, though. I can see why Seto loves you."

She huffed in embarrassment. "Shut up."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…It shouldn't hurt to come down here," Seto muttered, frowning, as he trailed his sharp nails down Kisara's soft side. "I used to come down every night. Now I only come down on the weekends, and I miss him."

Kisara frowned as well as she trailed her fingers down his chest. "I've noticed that you've been distant lately. We're growing apart, aren't we?"

"…I can start coming down every other night again," the brunet suggested. "Or every two nights, even. I'm sure Joey wouldn't mind—"

"You said he kissed your cheek the other day," she cut in. "And then you said that you kissed his cheek in return. I think you're starting to love me less and love him more. Kisses are a sign of affection. You've been kissing me less and less. I mean, you still kiss me a lot, but not nearly as much as you had."

Seto sat up and growled in frustration, ears flattening against his skull. "…I'm sure if I spend more time with you, I could—"

"Don't do that to him," Kisara whispered, frowning. "Joey has looked so happy. He even smiles at me, like it's perfectly natural to share your mate with someone. That's not right." She traced a few patterns on the brunet's back, smiling a little when his tail twitched in an awkward wag. "Alright. I have a proposition for you, then."

The brunet turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

She looked up at him. "Seto, stop seeing me for a month. See if you miss me. Think about whether you'd miss Joey as much as you miss me. Come back to me after a month and give me your answer. I won't be upset if you decide to love your mate rather than me."

Seto frowned and looked away from her. "…That doesn't seem fair. I—"

She patted his arm gently. "Trust me. Come back after a month, and we'll discuss it then. …I'd like some time to think about us, too."

"…Alright," the brunet sighed, nodding. "Alright, Kisara. You win. I'll come back in a month."

"Good." Kisara smiled sweetly. "Spend that month with your mate."

He sighed again. "Okay. I'll come back in a month, then."

"It _is_ for the best, Seto. For both of us. We both need some space to think."

"…I know…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey smiled and nuzzled up against the brunet's chest, sighing quietly in content. "This is nice."

"It is." Seto ran his fingers through the younger boy's hair. "…You remember how I told you that Kisara and I were taking a break?"

"Yeah. You've been really tense lately," the blond answered, poking his side playfully. "You're stressed, aren't ya? Ya wanna see her. It's okay, I get it. I don't wanna—"

The brunet sighed. "I'm going to stop seeing her."

"—Hold ya ba… What?" Joey looked up at him in surprise. "…You're gonna… stop… Wha-?"

"I'm going to stop seeing Kisara. And I think, after we talk, she'll agree with me." He looked down at the blond and smiled awkwardly. "I don't care about her the way I used to. I care more about you. I think… I think I want to make love to you, Joey."

The younger boy blushed, looking confused. "Are ya—are ya allowed t' do that? Just… just stop lovin' her and love me instead?"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "…It's not something that I just decided, Joey. It's something that happened gradually."

"Oh. …Ya really wanna make love t' me?" Joey smiled. "I wouldn't mind that."

The brunet chuckled. "Well, I'm glad. I'll go talk to Kisara tomorrow, and then the next night… it'll just be you and me."

"Okay." The younger boy giggled gleefully. "Just you an' me. That sounds nice. I mean, I didn't mind sharin' ya, but—"

"—But… sharing a mate _isn't_ natural," Seto cut in. "Don't worry. After tomorrow, I'll be all yours."

Joey snuggled up against his chest again, happy at the prospect. "Yeah!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I sort of knew this would be the outcome," Kisara admitted, smiling sadly. She leaned her cheek against his chest and sighed. "…You smell like him. I hadn't realized how good he smells."

"…I didn't either." Seto leaned his head down to kiss her forehead. "You're not mad?"

"No. I've been thinking this whole month, too." She leaned back to smile up at him. "My feelings have changed too. I'll still be your friend. That's how I love you now—not as a lover."

"I understand." He hugged her tightly. "I do still care about you, Kisara. I always will."

"I see." Kisara sighed, hugging him back gently, then whispered, "Should we do it one last time? Just for old time's sake?"

Seto paused. "…I don't see any problem with that. I'll come see you after dinner tomorrow. I'll just ask Joey if he'd mind waiting until the night after that."

"Do you think he'll agree?" she asked, concerned.

The brunet sighed, frowning, then shrugged. "I don't see why not. He's understood everything else. He should certainly understand this. Right? Even he should understand the whole 'last hurrah' thing."

"If you say so." Kisara nuzzled his chest, unable to deny that the blond's scent mixed with Seto's just seemed to meld together nicely.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked up at the brunet and tilted his head. "So, how is tonight gonna go?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd mind if we waited until tomorrow night," Seto replied. "Is that okay?"

The blond blinked, baffled. "Uh… I guess so. I mean, I don't see why not. Did somethin' come up with another pack-?"

"No." The older boy sighed. "…I'm going to see Kisara one last time."

"…Well you sure changed your mind fast," Joey muttered, frowning, then looked down at his food.

Seto frowned as well. "This will be the last time, Joey. I promise. Kisara and I are just friends now."

The blond huffed. "'course ya are." He shoveled his food into his mouth and kept his gaze resolutely on the table.

"…This _is_ the last time, Joey," the brunet stated firmly. "I won't be seeing her again."

"Of course," the younger boy muttered again. "I believe ya."

He did look angry. Perhaps he'd be angry for the next few days, too. But he'd understood before; he'd come to terms with it eventually, and perhaps even forgive him for it. He'd try to explain later, after he cooled down, because he could tell the blond wasn't going to listen anymore tonight.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Akako growled loudly as he heard a familiar knock on his door, trying to decide whether he wanted to kill himself or the blond on the other side of it. Eventually, he decided killing anybody would be too much trouble and dragged himself out of bed. He was ready to snarl and threaten to rip the younger boy's head off when he opened the door, but then he found the blond already crying, and instead of looking heartbroken or sad, like he usually did when he came to his room, he just looked… mad.

He couldn't help blinking in confusion. "…Joey?"

"Will you fuck me?" Joey asked softly.

Akako knew his jaw had dropped, but he felt his gaping was completely justified. "…Hah?"

The blond scowled and carefully repeated, "Will. You. Fuck. Me?"

"…Why?" he asked after a moment, frowning. "I thought you and Seto—You said that he told you he loves you—that he wants to _make_ love to you—"

"Well, that doesn't seem t' have stopped him from fuckin' Kisara again!" Joey snarled, scowling.

Akako was officially confused. Just earlier in the week, while he'd been having tea with her, Kisara had admitted that she sort of liked him and that her relationship with Seto would be over after they talked. He'd thought that they… There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.

"Joey, you don't want to do this. You'll regret it, and—" he began, frowning.

"I want him t' hurt like he hurt me," Joey growled, hands clenching into fists. "I want him t' feel this pain and humiliation. I want him t' _hurt just like me._"

Akako sighed. "Joey, you know that won't make it any better—"

"Then I'll go find someone else that wants my ass. It shouldn't be too hard," the blond spat, turning to leave.

The older man scowled and reached out to grab his wrist, dragging him back quickly. "Joey, you _know_ it's not going to help. It's just going to cause problems and hurt you both."

"I. DON'T. CARE!" Joey roared, making him take a startled step back. "He's never given a damn about me and when he finally _does_ give a damn he _still_ goes t' her? That's not fair! That _hurts!_ I've been puttin' up with this hurt for months, and what's he been doin'? Goin' down and fuckin' _her!_ I don't care anymore! I'm obviously not good enough for him so can't I at least be good enough for you for just one night!"

Akako sighed, brows furrowing together in frustration even though he felt pity welling up inside him for the first time. He'd never pitied the blond before; he'd been being groomed to take over as alpha for his pack, and then he'd had an arranged mating to the alpha of another pack, which still wasn't a bad position. He'd been mad when he'd seen his charge neglected, but he hadn't pitied him because he'd known that Seto had been in love with someone else, and then Joey had been so happy even _sharing_ him with Kisara that he'd forgotten that Joey had even had a jealous bone in his body.

He'd sorely underestimated the damage caused by sharing his mate, and he realized that maybe Joey _had_ been jealous, but at the time had been so desperate that he'd take anything he could get from Seto, even if it did mean not having him completely.

So he understood. He didn't like it, but he understood.

Joey couldn't help a sob as the older man pulled him into his arms, frustrated and angry and a million other things. "Please, Akako, just this once—"

"Shhh…" Akako pressed his lips against his throat gently and closed the door. "Just this once." He grunted as the blond pressed up against him and wondered what stupidity the brunet was suffering from.

He'd promised Joey sex and, after months of not having it despite having a mate, he'd really want that physical satisfaction. Having it taken away from him to be given to someone else (his 'former' mistress, no less) was like a slap in the face, and Joey would be understandably frustrated and hurt, especially because he wanted someone _else_ to touch him and give him that satisfaction, because he could only do so much himself.

Akako had pretended not to notice the smell of shame and misery when Joey came out of the bathroom late at night, when he thought he was sleeping. Somehow, he knew that tomorrow morning would smell of shame and misery as well.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto stared at his empty bed for a few long minutes, frowning. He'd realized that Joey would probably go sleep with Akako while he was gone, but the blond had always been back in bed before he returned. Perhaps he's underestimated how angry the younger boy had been. Well, he'd just give him time to cool off, perhaps wait until breakfast to speak with him and explain—

"WHAT. THE. HELL!"

He jerked slightly in surprise, then immediately turned as he heard and angry snarl, slamming out the door quickly. "What's going on?"

Kisara snarled and slammed the door to the room she'd been looking into, gripping her hands into angry fists as she began to stomp away. "What a little _tramp!_"

Seto caught her shoulders and ducked when she instinctively moved to hit him. "Kisara, what's wrong?"

"That stupid little—trashy little—Urgh, your _bitch!_ First it's _you_ and now he's after Akako!" she exclaimed, ignorant of the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"He can't be after me if he already has me," Akako stated, stepping out of his room as he buttoned up his pants. "He is my pack superior. I'm obligated to care for him."

Kisara snorted in disgust and spat, "And caring for him includes fucking him, I suppose."

Seto looked between the two in confusion, but he thought he was picking up on what they meant. He didn't like what he was finding. "What's going on?"

"That little slut—" the white-haired wolf began, ears twisting back in fury, only to yelp as the older man slapped a hand over her mouth.

Akako scowled. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of _you._ I'm tired of spending more time with your mate than _you_ do," he hissed, turning his glare on the brunet. "I'm tired of holding him when he's lonely and I'm tired of drying tears that _you_ caused. I'm tired of hearing him go on about how happy he is because Seto's finally letting him touch him and then having him come in and sleep with me when he goes to sleep with _you._ I'M. TIRED."

The two other wolves took a cautious step backward as the raven-haired man's tail bristled, and even the hair on his head seemed to start to stand at attention despite being long and tied at the base of his neck. "_I_ want to sleep. _I_ want to take some time to find a mate of my own. _I_ want to be able to leave Joey for a few days and know he's safe, that he'll be taken care of. Unfortunately, _I_ can't do that, because apparently it's custom for wolves of _your _pack to be selfish little assholes."

Seto scowled. "I'm not—"

"You told him you'd make love to him!" the older man roared, teeth sharpening and lengthening. "He was looking forward to it! He was happy! And then you told him you wanted one more night with _her!_ How did you think he would feel? Because I'll tell you right now he was hurt, and angry, and embarrassed! If it hadn't been me, it would have just been someone else!"

He snarled and glared at them, teeth bared in an ugly sneer as he turned his angry gaze on the brunet. "He loves you. He tries to pretend it doesn't hurt, but he _does_ love you." He jerked his head toward Kisara. "And he respects you. He thinks you're a nice person, even if he hates with every fiber of his being that Seto loves you more." He snarled when they both opened their mouths, looking outraged. "Which is exactly the impression you gave him when you decided to spend one more night with each other rather than the night you promised with him."

"It was the last time. There was never going to be another night!" Kisara exclaimed, looking annoyed.

Seto huffed. "I would have told him about it, but he didn't really give me a chance. He just shut me out and wouldn't listen to me!"

"_You both shut your fucking mouths._" Akako's fingers cracked as his claws began to lengthen. "You're both _idiots._ I know why Joey's mother sent me here; she knew that you'd never understand the ways of our pack and didn't want her son to be alone." His nose and mouth began to twist out of his human form. "_He's done nothing but cooperate with you and the one time he thinks he's going to be rewarded for his patience, you take it away and slap him in the face._"

Realizing he was changing into his demonic form, the older man immediately stood up straight and forced himself to relax. "…You won't be seeing us for a few days," he stated quietly. "He's too ashamed to come out and face you. When he does come out, you probably won't be seeing him a few days after that. If he wants to be invisible, he can be, and he doesn't want anyone to see him after the mistake he just made." He turned and moved to open his door.

Seto reached out to touch his shoulder. "…Mistake?"

"He didn't want to have sex with anyone but you. He just wanted you to hurt like you'd hurt him," Akako explained quietly. He stiffened and shrugged the man's hand off. "He felt like you didn't believe he'd be any good, too, and maybe that was why you went to sleep with Kisara—because you were used to each other and knew what the other liked. And let me just inform you—_both_ of you—" He turned to shoot them one last glare. "—That he's fucking _fantastic_ in bed."

At that, both Seto and Kisara had to gape, and they could only watch as the door shut behind him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm… I'm gonna go get somethin' t' eat, Akako," Joey mumbled standing from the bed. "Ya want anything?"

"Not particularly." Akako turned the page of the book he was reading. "Unless they have something spicy."

The blond sighed and went to the door. "Okay."

"You're going to have to see your mate sometime," the older man called out after him. "You've been in here for almost a week; you know you're feeling antsy."

"Maybe I can hide for a few more days," the blond whispered to himself, stepping outside. He turned to close the door and sighed, leaning his head against it sadly. He felt so ashamed. He'd slept with Akako out of pettiness, and he knew he was wrong, even if Seto had been wrong too. Sleeping with someone for revenge felt so disgusting and contemptible. He was lower than the dirt that the omegas were sometimes forced to crawl on.

"You look tired."

Joey jerked in surprise, body going rigid, and he couldn't help a startled but ashamed whimper. "I-I-!"

Seto raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall beside him, crossing his arms casually as he asked, "Has Akako been fucking you every night?"

The blond turned his head away and shuddered, tail curling up between his legs awkwardly. "I—No—I just—" He whimpered again and ducked his head, ears wilting in shame as he felt tears filling his eyes. "…I'm sorry. –But I know that that will never be enough. It was terrible of me."

The older boy frowned and stood up straight. "Wait, I didn't mean—"

"I shouldn't 've done that. It was petty of me and I was wrong. I… I…!"

Seto pulled the younger boy into his arms quickly, whispering into his ear as he began to cry. "I didn't mean that, Joey. I know it was a onetime thing. I practically drove you to it. Compared to how many times I went to sleep with Kisara while you—"

"But you and Kisara actually loved each other and I just wanted t' be fucked!" Joey sobbed, hiding his face in the brunet's chest. "I didn't care who it was or if he even liked me as long as he pounded me into somethin'!"

The older boy frowned and dug his fingers into the blond's shirt. He was an idiot. He'd assumed that he could have one final night with Kisara and then spend the rest of his nights with his mate, and he'd hurt him terribly by paying more attention to her for just that extra few hours. He hadn't… he hadn't realized that Joey had actually been that jealous of Kisara, but then again, he'd never promised to be only Joey's and then gone to Kisara for one last fling before.

He'd driven the blond into a jealous rage so powerful that he didn't care who he had sex with as long as he got it. Luckily it had been with someone who cared about his well-being. Plus, Joey had been completely celibate for months beforehand, only masturbating every once in a while in the privacy of their bathroom. He'd probably craved sex, and had been happy not only because his mate was ready to do it with him, but that he had someone else to touch him.

And he'd just taken that away and—in Joey's eyes—given that to someone else.

"…I'm sorry," Seto muttered, frowning. "I'm sorry I put you off. I'm sorry I went to go see her one last time. I shouldn't have left you to yourself. I didn't think about your feelings enough and I'm sorry I hurt you."

"'m sorry I was such a— …'m sorry I slept with someone else," Joey mumbled, trying to pull away. "I shouldn't 've— …I—"

"Shh." The brunet kissed his cheek before carefully rubbing his cheek against the younger boy's smooth neck. "Hmm. Your scar is fading."

"Yeah. But I didn't wanna bother ya about it." The blond turned his gaze on the floor, ears flopping forward limply. "I didn't know if your pack thought the same thing about the mating scars as mine did and I—uhn!" He yelped as he was shoved up against the wall, ears flying up in surprise as the brunet nuzzled his neck. "Gah-!"

Seto licked the fading scar a few times, pressing up against the blond's trembling body firmly. "All packs view the mating scar the same way. If you notice it's fading again, just tell me," he ordered quietly, carefully sliding one of his hands behind the younger boy's head.

Joey jerked his head back and howled, startled, as the brunet sunk his lengthening fangs into his throat, remarking his mate. Seto groaned as the blond's hips jerked forward, unconsciously trying to shove him away, and dug his claws lightly into the younger boy's scalp as he unintentionally ground his knuckles against the hard stone of the wall. Pressing closer to the smaller teen's body, he let a growl rumble from his chest as he gently shook the blond's neck, aggravating the wound so that it would scar more.

Joey whimpered submissively and relaxed a little, trembling as he let his head loll onto the brunet's shoulder. "Uhn…"

Seto dragged his fingers through the blond's hair gently, finally retracting his demonic teeth and releasing the younger boy's throat. He lapped at the wound gently and sighed, then gripped his hips and gnawed on the raw injury roughly. "Mine…"

"That hurts-!" the younger boy whined, squirming. He yelped again as the brunet pressed closer, unconsciously spreading his legs. His breath hitched as the older boy growled again and wedged his hips between his legs, shoving him up against the wall. "Ahn-!"

Seto stroked his side gently, then slid his hands down to grip the blond's thighs. "You're not allowed to smell like anyone but me now," he hissed, hooking the younger boy's legs over his hips. "You're not allowed to sleep with anyone else. If you're lonely, come to me. If you're scared, come to me. If you're angry, come to me—even if I'm the one that made you angry in the first place. Don't go to Akako. Come to me."

Joey whimpered again and bit his bottom lip. "But… but Seto, I—"

"You're my mate, Joey. Mine. And I've only just realized lately how important you are to me." The brunet licked his jaw softly, then began nipping and nibbling. "I'm sorry I hurt you so badly." He licked the dripping wound on his neck and sighed, then ground their hips together roughly. "_Mine._"

The blond mewed and jerked his head back a little. "Seto-!"

Seto was ready to rip the younger boy's clothes off and hump him silly then and there, but then he heard a quiet cough. Turning his head, he frowned. "What?"

Kisara raised an eyebrow at him. "Even we weren't so bold to have sex out in the open, Seto. I'm sure Joey will appreciate your attention just as much in your bedroom. …In your mating bed."

"Gah-! Ya want me t' have sex with ya in the hallway?" Joey exclaimed, looking offended. "After everything-!"

"…I hate you," Seto mumbled, turning to give the smiling woman a glare, then tossed the blond over his shoulder casually. "Now that the mood has been broken, let's go get some breakfast, Joey. And the healers can put some salve on that wound."

The younger boy huffed. "You're the one that did this t' me. Jerk."

"Yes, well, the healers also have a special salve that can make scars darker. I had every right to mark you again. You're mine."

Joey yelped as the brunet tugged lightly on his tail. "You pervert, just tuggin' on my tail where anyone can see-!"

Kisara smiled again when she hurt a howl of pain as they turned the corner and moved out of sight. "Well. At least Joey will keep him busy."

"Among other things," Akako sighed, opening the door and stepping outside. "He'll also keep him awake, ask him stupid questions because he can, and when Seto gets angry, he'll act cute and confused so that he can't _stay_ angry. He acts stupid, but he's really a conniving little jerk." The older man shrugged a little. "Then again, I've noticed that people of higher rank in the packs usually have something that diffuses tense situations."

"Like how Seto just stares people down with a look that makes them feel stupid, or his brother just pretends to be oblivious?" she pointed out, chuckling quietly. "What did the rest of Joey's family do?"

"His parents were rude and cruel, making no one want to deal with them, and his sister pretended to not realize when people were insulting her family, instead turning the insults back on the people saying them. She was a clever little girl; I can understand why her parents wanted her to stay and take over the pack instead of Joey. Joey's strong enough to keep his position as alpha in a fight, but Serenity's clever enough to stay out of fights _and _keep her position. …But they both cried terribly when it was decided that one of them had to mate with Seto and it was probably going to be Joey."

"…Would everything have been different if it hadn't been Joey, and it had been his sister instead?" Kisara asked softly.

Akako turned a gaze on her and scowled. "Either you or Seto would be dead. While she's just as patient as her brother, she has always gotten her way, and if you two didn't stop seeing each other, she would have attacked you both until one of you couldn't get up. She's very possessive. …Joey didn't have any serious partners at his pack because she'd keep them away from him. She never wanted her brother to leave. Not because she was selfish, of course, but she saw what her parents did to Joey to keep him docile and she wanted to protect him herself."

The white wolf chuckled quietly. "…What a little spitfire. I'd like to meet her someday."

"You may just get your wish. His family's coming to visit since he hasn't kept in touch. The castle will not sleep for weeks," Akako replied. "It's never pleasant when the in-laws visit. …Also, don't let anyone tell Serenity you were Seto's mistress. She might still kill you."

"…I won't leave the servants' quarters then."


	47. Shipwreck II

Author's Note: WHY DOES THIS SEEM SO CRAPPY? The beginning doesn't, but I feel like I crapped out at the end because I wanted to get in some of the 'amorous nymph' thing. And that just made it come out like craaaaap. **:**C

Crap crappity crap crap! OTL I'm so, so sorry. If I figure out how to better it, I'll change it, and tell you guys about the update in the next chapterrrr.

* * *

Shipwreck II

"You have to eat something."

Joey turned his head away and huffed, refusing to answer. "Humph!"

Seto turned toward his brother and sighed, shrugging in defeat. "If he doesn't want to eat, I guess we'll just go."

Mokuba frowned in concern. "But he hasn't eaten for a couple of days. Maybe he just doesn't like the food…"

"Well, it's all we've got. What does he want us to do?"

Seeing the two brothers were distracted by their bickering, Joey turned and slid off of the stump he'd been sitting on. He flinched a little as he put his weight on his previously injured leg; even though it had healed for the most part, it was still pretty tender. Once he was standing, however, he carefully began walking toward the river nearby. Most rivers led to the sea. He could get back to his home if he could only get to the water.

"…HEY!"

"Ngh-!" Hearing the two humans running after him, the blond hobbled to the river a little faster, even though he knew he wouldn't make it before they caught him. He had to _try_ to get to it, at least, not just give up like some sort of sissy. He gasped as his ankle throbbed with a pain so intense it blinded him, causing his leg to buckle. Squeezing his eyes shut as he tumbled to the ground, he whimpered quietly. "Nn!"

Before he could actually hit the ground, he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around him. He immediately began squirming, cursing in his own aquatic language as he tried to get out of the brunet's grip. "Let me _go!_"

"After all the trouble I went through to get you here? Not on your life," Seto snapped, lifting him up. "You're coming home with us and you better get used to the idea."

Joey turned his head away and huffed again. "Humph!"

The brunet sighed and narrowed his eyes at the nymph, then turned to look at his brother, who simply shrugged at him. "…When we get back home, I'm locking you in my room," he muttered, scowling, and began stalking down the road again.

"Great! Make me more of a prisoner than I already am!" the blond exclaimed, crossing his arms. "—And walk slower! You're jarrin' me and my leg hurts!"

Seto rolled his eyes skyward, fighting every urge to drop the blond. "Mokuba, how close are we to home?"

"Well, it would be maybe an hour on horseback. Maybe three hours away?" the younger boy guessed, frowning. "We've got a while, in any case."

He wanted to curse and punch something, or throw the nymph on the ground and throw a hissy fit. However, he would not sink to the blond's level. He refused to do that. He was more mature than that, and if he sunk to the blond's level of tantrum-throwing, he'd never win the nymph's respect.

That didn't mean he couldn't _imagine_ himself throwing the blond to the ground and snarling at him.

Seto frowned suspiciously as the blond suddenly laid his head on his shoulder. "What? Tired after your snit?"

"…'m dry," the nymph whispered, frowning. "Could your brother just scoop a little water from the river for me and sprinkle it on me? Havin' it on my skin is different from drinkin' it."

"…I suppose that would be okay." Turning to look at his brother, the brunet jerked his head toward the river. "Joey needs some water sprinkled on his skin. Could you get some for me?"

Mokuba blinked in surprise, then nodded, scurrying over to the river. "Okay."

Joey sighed and shivered a little as the water was sprinkled over him, skin absorbing the water quickly. "Mm…"

Seto made a note that he'd have to keep a bucket in the house for the nymph. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah…" The blond shuddered, eyes drifting closed as he tucked his head more against the human's neck. He wanted to be a little more vindictive and feisty, but he was so tired, and he felt so dry. He needed to conserve his energy and moisture. So, he allowed himself to relax in the brunet's arms and sighed.

The brunet frowned as he felt the nymph fall limp in his arms and glanced at his brother. "Mokuba, there should be a farmer a half mile from here. Run ahead and ask him if he can spare a horse—two, if he's amiable."

Mokuba took one look at the nymph in his brother's arms and nodded. "Alright. I'll try to be quick."

Seto watched him go and glanced down at the blond. "It _has_ been quite some time since you've been fully submerged," he admitted, sighing quietly. He glanced at the river, frowning. He wanted to give the blond some more moisture, but he was certain that the water nymph would immediately use that as an escape, and after carrying him for three days (literally _carrying_ him, because he refused to walk), he didn't want all of that hard work to go to waste.

…But all of that _would_ go to waste if the nymph withered away. He'd noticed that the fight had been waning out of the blond, but not for lack of emotion. He _did_ feel lighter, too. It was worrisome.

Seto brushed his lips over the nymph's forehead, then decided he could compromise a little. "Okay. …Don't run away from me," he whispered, even though he was well aware that the blond had passed out and couldn't answer.

Walking over to the river, he knelt beside it and gently placed the blond so he was sitting on his knee. Then, he carefully moved the nymph's legs so that his feet dipped slightly into the water. "There we go…"

Joey gasped and jerked in his arms, then shuddered violently. "Ngh-! Hn!" His body arched upward, mouth falling open as he moaned loudly, before he fell still with a quiet sob of relief, head falling to rest on the brunet's shoulder. "Oh…"

Seto blinked, stunned, and stared down at where the blond's feet were touching the water. "…Wow."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey grunted as he felt something moving between his legs. It wasn't a bad feeling, but he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with it at the moment. After a minute or two, he realized he was pressed up against someone, set in his lap, and he could feel their hips knocking together in a steady rhythm. He sighed quietly and hummed, nuzzling into the man's chest as he tried to recall how he got into this not-unpleasant position.

…Wait.

"GAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH WHAT ARE YA DOIN' T' MEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Seto jerked slightly and winced at the volume of the nymph's scream. "Would it kill you to not yell?"

"Ya pervert I can't believe you'd do this t' me while I was unconscious I don't even like ya AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Joey wailed, sobbing.

"Doing what?" the brunet exclaimed helplessly. "I'm not doing anything I wasn't doing while you _were_ conscious!"

The nymph squirmed wildly, trying to shove him away. "I can't believe you're still goin' at a time like this-!"

Seto scowled and grabbed his shoulders tightly. "Stop squirming or you're going to fall off and get trampled."

"Fallin' off wouldn't be—Trampled?" Joey paused, sniffling, then looked around in confusion.

…He was on a horse. He'd been placed on the brunet's lap, facing him—probably so he could hold him better and keep him from falling. Their hips weren't rocking together because the human was taking advantage of him; they were rocking together because of the horse's steady gait.

Joey blushed and bit his bottom lip, at least having the decency to look ashamed of his accusations. "…Oh."

Seto shot him a confused glare before reaching around him to grab the reigns again. "Jeez, we're lucky you didn't startle the horse so it bucked us."

The blond sniffled again and rubbed his nose. "…Aren't ya mad that I thought ya were…?"

"Of course I'm mad," the human replied heatedly. "You thought I'd go so low as to take advantage of you. While you were _sleeping._ I haven't done anything _that_ horrible to you, have I? I had my dragon break your ankle and drag you back from the sea because I thought you'd been attacking my brother. I admit I may have gone overboard with that, but considering how quickly you healed, it's not like you suffered that long.

"The only reason your ankle still hurts is because you refuse to walk and so it can't move around. It would feel better after an hour, maybe even sooner. Aside from that, I haven't done much to make you think so little of me. I've tried to keep you fed, but _you_ refuse food. I've tried to keep you warm, but _you_ refuse the human clothes I offer and stay as far away from the fire as you can. I've tried to let you have a little freedom, but every time I leave you alone, you always try to run away.

"You're mine now, Joey. You destroyed my ship, lost my cargo, and murdered my crew. Compared to what you did, I think I was justified." He huffed angrily. "I'm glad to know you think I'd rape you, though. That feels great. Thanks."

Joey frowned and ducked his head, hunching his shoulders a little. "…I only did it 'cause Poseidon told me to…"

"Yeah. We see how well _that_ paid off," Seto snapped, then sighed in frustration. "If Poseidon respected you as much as you think he does, he wouldn't have forced you to sink a ship when you didn't want to."

The blond flinched a little and bit his bottom lip. "…But… but he respects my power, and…"

Rolling his eyes, the human spat, "And he asked you to use that power to do something you didn't want to. Yes. He clearly respects you more than I do."

"…He… I… Uh…" Joey's brows furrowed together awkwardly. "…It's just…"

"Oh, shut up, Joey. I'm already pissed off and I'm certain that anything you say is just going to piss me off more," the brunet sighed. "We're almost to my home. I'll take you to my room and you can rest there."

The nymph felt too ashamed to whisper more than a quiet 'okay' after being told off.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You can't stay in here forever, you know," Mokuba stated, coming up to stand beside the nymph as he stared out a window. "I'm sure you don't care, but Seto would really like his room back. …He says the beds in the guest rooms are too hard…"

Joey frowned and leaned his head against the cool glass. "How long have I been in here? I can't remember what the words are… but I know I've been in here for a lot of sunrises."

"About three weeks." The younger boy pulled a chair up beside him and frowned as he sat down. "You know, Seto's really upset by whatever happened on the way home. He won't tell me what _did_ happen, though. Will you tell me?"

The blond blushed a little. "…If… if he didn't tell ya, maybe I shouldn't either…"

Mokuba puffed his cheeks out in frustration. "Of course. It's because I'm a kid, isn't it?"

"…Not really," Joey murmured, frowning. "It's just… What're ya doin' in here, anyway? You usually have a reason other than t' talk t' me."

The younger boy huffed, then sighed and leaned over to grab the bucket of water he'd brought in. "Seto sent this in for you."

"Oh, thank you." The nymph turned and accepted the bucket, setting it on the ground, then slipped his feet into it and sighed. He shuddered in pleasure as he absorbed the water, mewing when he realized that it wasn't the normal sterile water he was usually given and instead filled with different minerals. "Yeeessss!"

Mokuba blinked. "Wow. Is that like an orgasm for you?"

"Ngh…" Joey blushed and looked away. "…Sort of. That drinking water you guys give me, it's… It's good, but… it's not full of the things I need to absorb. …Could ya add some salt next time? I'm from the sea, so…"

"Oh, so you need salt water instead of fresh, huh?" The human frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know if that's gonna work with what Seto's doing…"

"Well, you can alternate salt water and fresh water until I'm used to it fresh," the blond explained. "Just until I get used t' havin' fresh water all the time. I can assimilate t' it. …What's Seto doin'?"

"Oh. Well, when he's upset, he usually does work around the mansion, like repairing the roof or chopping wood or stuff like that. …I think what you said really hurt his feelings…"

Joey flinched a little. "Oh. …So he's choppin' wood then?"

"Well… Something like that," Mokuba mumbled. He paused, then glanced at the blond slyly. "But if he didn't tell you, maybe I shouldn't tell you either."

The nymph stared at him, stunned that the little twerp would try to use his own words against him. He was probably expecting a deal of give and take, sharing what he'd said to Seto in exchange for what Seto was doing. "Well, if he doesn't want me t' know, I guess I won't pry," he replied, smirking.

Mokuba roared in frustration. "BUT I WANT TO KNOW!"

"I bet you do," Joey cooed, smiling triumphantly.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto paused to admire the blond strewn across his bed, wishing he could just climb in next to him and fall asleep on his comfortable mattress… But he wouldn't want Joey to think he was trying to rape him again. He scowled at the thought. That had hurt. He admitted he hadn't been the nicest person when he'd taken Joey, but he didn't think he'd been _that_ bad.

Sighing quietly, he frowned, then grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently. "Wake up."

"Mmph." The nymph grunted and shoved his head under a pillow.

The brunet scowled. "Hey!"

"…Ngh?" Joey sat up quickly, blinking up at him, then flinched. "Hiii…"

Seto sighed. "Hello." He paused for a moment, then reached over to gently pull the sleeve of the blond's toga back onto his shoulder. "Will you come with me?"

The nymph blinked up at him, still a bit muddled from sleep, then looked away, blushing as he lifted his hand to touch his shoulder where the brunet's fingers had brushed against his skin. "…Come where?"

"Outside." The brunet held his hands out to him. "Do you need me to carry you?"

"No, I've been walkin' around the room, and sometimes Mokuba walks with me around the mansion," Joey murmured, sliding to the edge of the bed. He frowned as the human pulled his hands back, then sighed and got to his feet slowly. "—Still a little tender, but I stayed off of it for a long time, so I probably deserve it."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "If you're sure. Follow me."

Joey squeaked as he began walking away and stumbled after him. "Not so fast! I said I'm still tender-!"

"I didn't think it could be that tender…" The brunet turned toward him and frowned. "…You've been walking on it for a month…"

"…When I go too fast, it hurts a little," the nymph admitted. "Like that lizard's sinkin' its teeth into me again."

"Dragon."

"Bless you."

Seto stared at him, stunned, then couldn't help but laugh. "No, Joey, that… type… of lizard, is called a dragon, and if it wasn't for the magic that put it in my skin, they wouldn't exist here." He chuckled again. "Bless you, like it's some sort of sneeze. That's adorable."

"Ngh!" Joey blushed as the human reached out to ruffle his hair, then scowled, feeling even more embarrassed. "It's not that funny!"

"Yeah, it sort of is." The brunet chuckled a little longer, then sighed, smile still tugging the corners of his lips up in a manner that was unfamiliar to the nymph—mostly because he'd never really seen him smile before. "Would carrying you be easier, or are you determined to walk?"

"Um…" He reached out to grab the human's arm, blushing a little darker. "If I can just hold onto you…"

Seto hummed and reached over to gently place his hand on top of the blond's, then began walking again—slower, this time. "I trust that Mokuba kept you away from the back of the mansion."

"Yeah. He said there was a torture chamber back there and that there would be mutilated bodies I didn't wanna see," the nymph replied, concentrating on his feet.

The brunet jerked to look at him immediately. "He what-? _Why_ would he do _that?_"

Joey blinked up at him innocently. "So ya don't have a torture chamber back there?"

"_No!_" Seto exclaimed defensively. "And I don't see why you'd believe him!"

"…I thought maybe all humans had them," the nymph admitted, blushing again.

The brunet stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "No. Not all humans have them. In fact, very, _very_ few humans do. …I don't know a single human that does."

"Oh. So what's out back that I'm not s'posed t' see, then?" Joey looked up at him, suddenly desperate to know. "Did it hafta do with what ya were doin' that Mokuba didn't think he was s'posed t' tell me?"

Seto frowned. "…I didn't care if Mokuba told you…"

"Hmm. Shoulda told him that." Squeaking as his leg buckled, he gripped the brunet's arm tightly. "Ah-!" He squeaked again when the human grabbed him and carefully pulled him upright again, blushing as he rested his hands on the brunet's arms. His very… muscular arms… "Ah… M-maybe you should just carry me until my foot is stronger," he suggested, glancing away guiltily.

"Are you sure?" Once the blond nodded, Seto carefully scooped him up. "If you say so."

Joey stifled a mew of admiration when he felt the human's muscles ripple in his arms beneath him, instead commenting, "You're really muscular."

The brunet snorted. "I would hope so. I do everything that needs doing around the outside of the mansion."

"Hmm." The nymph tilted his head. "Poseidon always talked about how humans with big houses always had lots of servants and big harems."

"All my servants _wanted_ to be a harem. I couldn't stand the constant warring between maids to see who got to share my bed and just got rid of them."

"Oh. …When was that?" Joey asked casually—more casually than he felt.

Seto frowned in thought. "A few years ago. I didn't really care, because I was leaving a family friend in charge of the mansion while my brother and I traveled. Do you want a personal servant? I wouldn't mind hiring one for you."

"No, I was just wonderin'." He paused, then laid his head on the brunet's shoulder. "So… it's been a while, huh?"

The human tilted his head and glanced down at him in confusion. "…Been a while since what?"

"…Since ya had… ya know." Joey blinked up at him coyly. "…Sex."

"Oh." Seto blinked. "…Sure, I guess. Why?"

"…It's been a while for me, too," the blond mentioned, still batting his eyelashes at him.

"…Sooo you want me to make a harem for you, then? I have to say, I'm not actually inclined to—" the brunet began, but the nymph cut him off with a shout of frustration.

"You are stupid and useless! Neeeever mind!"

Seto stopped in his tracks, blinking in confusion. "…Was it something I—"

"YES!" Joey snapped, glaring at him, then huffed and crossed his arms.

The brunet stared at him, frowning, then rolled his eyes and turned to use his elbow to open the door to the back and stepped outside. "Okay, whatever. Just tell me what you think."

"Humph! Think about what?" The nymph turned his head in the direction the other boy had nodded, scowling, but his scowl immediately faded into a look of genuine surprise when he saw the large, glittering pond. "What…?"

"Roland took such good care of the mansion that there wasn't much for me to do, and the river's a few hours away by horseback, so… I figured I'd make something that you could enjoy here."

Joey stared at it silently, mouth falling open as he took in what had to be an acre of water. He was dimly aware of the brunet setting him down, and his feet sinking in the mud, but he was so intent on the water that he didn't realize he had stepped into the water until he felt it rippling around his ankles. He felt his body beginning to absorb the minerals from the water and gasped when he realized it was for him.

Seto frowned as the nymph spun toward him, his large brown eyes filled with tears. "Do you not like it? I thought you'd—"

"Ya did this for me. Didn't ya? Ya made this for me," he whispered, clenching his hands to his chest. He took a few steps back and mewed as the mud squished between his toes, the water rising with each step backward until it was around his knees. "Even after I said that horrible stuff—ya still made this pond for me?"

"Of course. Taking you out every day for several hours would be impractical." The brunet frowned to himself thoughtfully. "Though maybe it would be better for my neighbors to think me impractical than insane, making those horses move back and forth between the river for the last week to get all this water here."

Joey looked down at the water and brought his hands to his chest, almost trembling with the realization that the brunet had put a lot of work into trying to make him comfortable despite the mean things he'd said to him and despite having hurt him initially. He bit his bottom lip, then smiled despite the tears in his eyes. "Thank you very much. I'm sure this took a lot of hard work."

Seto smiled. "Yes, but I think it was worth it, don't you?"

The nymph swallowed thickly, then walked back up to him and reached out to grasp his shoulders. When the brunet only blinked at him, he let his eyes drift closed and went up on his toes to brush their lips together.

Seto blinked as the nymph immediately stepped back and turned to disappear into the pond, stunned. Then again, the blond had looked incredibly touched when he'd realized that he had dug the pond for him himself. He'd been… so incredibly sweet when he'd kissed him…

"…Wait…" He frowned, brows furrowing together, until he realized what the blond had been hinting at, and he remembered that nymphs were said to be quite amorous. Joey hadn't had sex in quite some time, and neither had he, and it felt like they'd come to an understanding, but… "…Fuck. Damn it. Fuck. Ugh!"

Mokuba opened his mouth to ask his brother how Joey had liked the gift of an entire pond, but when he saw his brother march over to the mansion and begin to slam his head repeatedly into the wall, he decided he could wait until later.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So… when you said it had been a while for you…" Seto began, but the nymph immediately cut him off.

"Nope. That ship has sailed. Bye-byyyye!" Joey waved his hand dismissively as he began up the stairs back to Seto's room. "So sorry you were such an idiot that ya missed your chance." When the brunet groaned in frustration, the nymph made sure to pull at the bottom hem of his toga. "The only thing I hate about wet clothes is that they stick t' me."

The human watched the wet fabric immediately plaster back to the blond's shapely backside and grunted quietly. "I'm sure. …Would you mind if I…?"

Joey turned to blink at him in confusion. "If ya what?"

"You know what, it was a stupid question," Seto muttered, scowling, as he turned to walk back down the stairs. "Forget I said anything."

"No." He felt the blond's fingers clench the back of his shirt tightly. "What were ya gonna ask?"

The brunet frowned, then sighed quietly. "…I was going to ask if maybe I could use my bed for a while. …I haven't slept well in any of the other bed in this stupid mansion."

Joey paused, tilting his head, then stepped closer to press up against his back. "Well, I'll admit that ya have a really comfy bed. …Would ya… would ya mind maybe sharin' it, then? Nothin' dirty, or anything, just… sleepin'."

"You'd be okay with that?" Seto turned toward him in surprise. "Really?"

The nymph hummed and turned his gaze elsewhere. "Well, I can't promise I won't get horny again, but maybe if we get used t' each other, it'll be okay…"

The brunet stared. "…You… what?"

"It comes in bouts. …My horniness comes and goes. Sometimes it goes for weeks," Joey muttered awkwardly. "'m sorry I came onto ya like that earlier. I'd just noticed somethin' that turned me on, and… well…"

"…Your libido turns on and off?"

The blond shrugged. "Not really. I just don't normally pay attention t' it unless it's been a while since I last had sex, so…"

"I hate you," Seto stated firmly, scowling. "I _hate_ you."

Joey blinked in confusion and took a step back, frowning. "W-wha? Why-?"

"You're a mean little tease, that's why," the brunet hissed, glaring at him.

The nymph blushed, still a little baffled, but he was beginning to understand. "I—I didn't mean—I didn't know humans were so sensitive about it!"

"…I'm going to bed," Seto ground out, turning to stomp past him.

Joey yelped as the human's hand smacked against his butt as he stalked past him, both sounding louder and hurting more because of the wet fabric of his toga. "Ngh! Nyee! That hurt!"

"Don't pretend you didn't like it."

The blond blushed and lifted a hand to cover his mouth. It had hurt, but the human was right; it had sort of turned him on.

…And now he had to go sleep next to him! This guy was just as much of a tease as he was!

Mokuba opened his mouth to ask Joey how he'd enjoyed the pond, since his brother had been… busy when he'd tried to ask before, but when he saw the blond turn and begin to slam his head against the wall next to the staircase, he turned and walked back the way he'd come. _'You guys are so weird that it's almost like you're meant to be weird together.'_


	48. Stitches

Author's Note: Obligatory Halloween Fic. **:|** THE SETTING IS SO VAGUE I DON'T EVEN. It's like a cross between Halloween Town from "A Nightmare Before Christmas" and Yu-Gi-Oh!. :| What.

* * *

Stitches

Seto jumped slightly as a hand was thrown onto his desk, then glanced up at the person that had thrown it. "I take it that _he_ couldn't manage to keep your hand on, either."

Joey glared at him and snatched his hand off of the desk, shaking it at him angrily. "Look, Kaiba, I understand you're busy and you're workin' on a lot of other projects, but in the time it takes for ya t' research everything and send me somewhere else for a stitch job, you could do a perfect job of sewin' me back together yourself!"

The brunet sighed and leaned his head in his hand, rubbing his temple slowly. "That may be, but I can't always drop everything and stitch you back together, Joey. I keep researching places so that if it ever happens again—with a foot, or your entire leg, or anything else—you can go there and stop bothering me."

"Maybe if ya scheduled me in around all your other bullshit—" the blond began heatedly, but cut himself off as the door to the brunet's office opened again.

Mokuba skipped in cheerfully. "Hi, Joey!" He frowned when he saw that the blond was holding his detached hand at his side. "It fell off again? …Maybe you should just give up on that hand, Joey."

"I need this hand," Joey replied shortly, but not unpleasantly. "I've tried using my other one. I'm crap with it."

"Hmm. Well, hopefully you'll find someone who can actually stitch it back on properly. Seto, I'm gonna go buy some candy spiders and chocolate crickets. Do you want me to pick up any rum bombs?"

Seto pulled out his wallet to grab some money and shoved it at the younger boy. "As many rum bombs as that can buy, please."

Mokuba raised his eyebrows and whistled. "Someone's trying to get hammered."

"Just go buy your candy," the brunet sighed. The two teens watched him go before Seto turned a glare back on the blond zombie. "Mokuba's right. Maybe you should just give up on that hand. If you use your other hand enough, you'll get used to it and use it just as you would the one that keeps falling off."

"I want to be _complete,_" Joey hissed, glaring back at him. "This may come as a shock t' ya, Kaiba, but I like havin' this hand. It makes me feel whole. Zombies are allowed that luxury, aren't they?"

The brunet grunted. He supposed they were. "Fine. _I'll call you with the address of the person who'll fix you after I finish this project,_" he gritted out.

"Project for what? What's more important than my hand?" the zombie exclaimed angrily.

"A better zombie than you," Seto snapped. "You were a failure. We're designing a zombie that is not only scarier than you but…" He glanced at the severed hand the blond was holding and sneered. "…But one that's also more durable."

Joey recoiled as if he'd been physically hit, then huffed and turned his back to him. "A failure. Right. Thanks." He stormed out of the office and slammed the door, then snarled angrily, finally allowing a tear to leak from his eye.

They'd managed to get his tear ducts connected properly. Why couldn't they do that with his fucking hand?

Snarling again, he threw his hand into the trash and stormed toward the elevator.

"Um-! Mr. Wheeler, you're going to need your hand to have it reattached!" the little blonde poltergeist that worked as Seto's secretary exclaimed. She pulled it out of the trash and stood to go return it to him.

Joey growled as the doors to the elevator slid open and stepped inside, turning to glare at her. "Tell that asshole t' shove it up his ass. _You_ care about it more than he does, and ya didn't even know I was being designed or built!" When she tried to follow him, he pushed the button to shut the doors. "No, just throw it in the trash. It's all that it's worth. I'm a _failure,_ ya know."

She stumbled to a stop in surprise, frowning. "But you're one of the scariest zombies we have at Hallo—"

"HAH!" the blond barked in disbelief, just before the doors clicked closed and the elevator began its descent.

The poltergeist stood awkwardly, clutching the hand to her chest. "…But you've won the company vote for the last three years," she whispered, ducking her head, then turned to trudge back to her seat.

Not that he knew anything about the company vote, which listed each design of zombie for that year and the winner from the previous year. The margin had been getting slimmer each year, but he still won, usually because while the newer zombies were designed to be scarier, they weren't as capable of moving as he was.

Placing the blond's severed hand into a box, she carefully labeled it so it wouldn't get thrown out and knocked on her boss's door. "Mr. Kaiba?"

"Come in, Karin."

She opened the door and peeked inside. "Are you busy, Mr. Kaiba?"

"I'm always busy. Is there something you need?" Seto asked, not looking up from his computer.

"Um… Mr. Wheeler threw this in the trash. I thought he might like it for when you schedule his appointment for regular maintenance," she murmured, placing the box on the desk.

The brunet paused, staring at the box for a few moments, then used a pen to lift the lid up. He immediately scowled. "He would make his hand flip me off."

Karin blinked, then peered into the box as well. "…I swear it wasn't like that when I put it in, Mr. Kaiba!"

"Of course it wasn't, Karin," he sighed. "He knew what you'd do. He still has some sort of control of his hand, even if it's not attached."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto scowled as his phone rang and scooped it up immediately. "Kaiba."

"_**Hello, Mr. Kaiba. My name is Inga from the Flesh Tailor's calling to tell you that your zombie has missed his appointment. We would like to know what you want done with this spare hand."**_

Seto blinked. "He… didn't show up?"

"_**No, Mr. Kaiba."**_

"…He didn't show up…" He frowned and scratched the back of his head. "I guess, just keep it there until I come pick it up. What time do you close today?"

"_**Six o'clock this evening, Mr. Kaiba."**_

"…I'll pick it up at five-thirty, then. Thank you for holding it," Seto said, even though he knew that they were legally required to hold zombies' body parts until the zombie or the zombie's creator made arrangements to get them back.

Hanging up the phone, he frowned and leaned back in his chair. He'd known that Joey had been incredibly mad this last time, but he'd always gotten over it—had always secretly enjoyed throwing his hand at him so it punched him or slapped him in the face when it was detached from his body. Apparently, that hadn't been the case this time. He'd been more upset than the brunet had figured when he left.

Seto picked up his phone again and dialed Yugi's shop. "Damn it, I didn't want to talk to you…"

"_**Thank you for calling the Turtle Game Shop! This is Yugi, how may I help you?"**_

"Yugi, is Joey there?"

"_**Kaiba-? Uh, no, he isn't. I haven't actually seen him for a while. His hand fell off when he was helping some customers and when they laughed, he asked me to take over for him. When I got finished, he was gone. I don't know where he is."**_

Seto frowned, brows furrowing together in both frustration and confusion. "…I see. You don't even have an idea?"

"…_**Sometimes he goes to the graveyard where his dad was buried. He hasn't been there whenever **__I've__** checked, but he's got to show up sometime, right?"**_

The brunet sighed. "I guess. …Did you get that order of Razor Operation in yet?"

"_**The one where you actually have to cut Cavity Sam open to operate on him? Yeah. …And **__yes,__** I have one set aside just for you."**_

"…I'll pick it up tomorrow."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto raised an eyebrow as he saw his blond creation sitting in front of a grave, arms crossed over his knees. Tilting his head, he pondered how to approach the zombie, then shrugged and, grasping the hand he'd retrieved from the tailor's, smacked it roughly against the corner of a headstone.

Joey jerked where he sat, jolting upright as he released a keen of pain. "Mother fucker-! _What_ are they doin'?" he exclaimed, grasping his forearm, then sighed and hugged his arm to his chest. He sighed again and muttered, "…Guess it don't matter. _I _don't matter, so it don't matter what happens t' my hand."

Seto frowned as the blond curled tight again, his handless arm pulled close to his chest. Why did he think he didn't matter? Grasping the blond's hand gently, he approached the zombie. "You're worrying Yugi, you know."

"…'course I am." The blond scowled and hugged his arm closer. "I can't do anything right, huh?"

"Well, you certainly can't show up for appointments," Seto agreed, offering him a hand up. "Come on. I'll sew your hand back on."

Joey huffed and jerked his head away. "Don't. It's just gonna fall off again anyway."

The brunet scowled, then sighed and knelt in front of him. "You said yourself that I'm better at sewing you back together than anyone else."

"It's still gonna fall off," the zombie argued, shooting a glare at him.

Seto sighed again. "You know you're going to have to—"

"Ya said so yourself, Kaiba. I'm a failure. Ya knew a zombie held together with stitches would be scary, but ya forgot how quickly the stitches would deteriorate. I'm gonna keep fallin' apart, Kaiba. I don't see a point t' puttin' me back together if I'm just gonna need t' be stitched back together again."

The brunet released an annoyed sigh through his nose. "So what do you want to do then, Joey? If you don't want to be put back together, what do you want?"

Joey glared at his shoes for a few minutes before looking up at him again. "Bust a cap through my skull."

Seto's jaw fell open in shock. "Are you suggesting that I… _kill_ you?"

"Why not? I was already killed once. Bein' shot in the head would be preferable t' bein' dismembered." The blond scowled. "I'm tired of bein' made fun of when my hand falls off or I lose my foot when I'm walkin'. I'm useful for one day of the year, and the rest I'm just a walkin' joke."

"And your solution to that is to _die?_" the brunet asked in disbelief. "Joey, I understand that you're upset, but _really—_"

"What does it _matter?_" Joey snapped. "You're comin' up with scarier zombies all the time. You don't _need_ me. …Besides, my upkeep is expensive."

Seto rolled his eyes skyward in frustration and sighed. "…Just because it's expensive for you _doesn't_ mean it's expensive for me. It's pocket change. Now come on."

"No." The blond scowled and hid his face in his arms. He had to squeal, however, when the older boy reached down between his legs and grabbed his crotch. "What are you doing!"

"If you don't want your hand sewn back on, I can only assume that you won't want _this_ to tempt you_._"

"FINE I'LL LET YOU SEW MY HAND BACK ON JESUS!" Joey roared, blushing, and shoved the brunet's hand away from his man-parts. "Gah! Stupid jerk! I think ya ripped some of the stitches down there…"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to—"

"NO I'LL GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"—And what material would you prefer for your sutures today?" the nurse asked, examining the blond's forearm. "We have a large selection, if you'd like me to show you a list."

"I'd like t' see the list, please." Joey took the piece of laminated paper he was handed and examined it carefully, fighting the urge to flinch as his eyes skimmed across the dotted lines to see how much each material would cost—Seto had firmly stated that he would be joining him to see what kept going wrong, and he didn't want the brunet to have the pleasure of seeing him squirm. "Uh, I guess this plain catgut suture is okay." He couldn't help an actual flinch when the brunet sputtered in disbelief.

She smiled at him sweetly. "Alright! I'll go get the tailor and bring the catgut and we'll get your hand fixed up!"

Joey had half a mind to ask her not to leave him when he saw the brunet's eyes glowing red in fury, but he knew it was inevitable, so he merely steeled himself for the storm he knew was coming. As soon as the door clicked closed, he received the full force of it.

"THE REASON YOUR FUCKING HAND KEEPS FUCKING FALLING OFF IS BECAUSE YOU KEEP GETTING FUCKING ABSORBABLE SUTURES!" the brunet roared, eyeteeth lengthening as he stood and snarled at the smaller man. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!"

The zombie leaned back a little, frowning. "Your company only covers so many charges, Kaiba—"

"KAIBA CORPORATION HAS EXCELLENT COVERAGE FOR ITS ZOMBIES!"

Joey leaned back a little further, shoulders hunching a little as the brunet loomed over him. "N-not after you're let go," he murmured, frowning. "The coverage gets smaller once you're fired, and I've used my own money a few times when it was a big repair, but I don't make enough money anymore that I can afford it every time."

Seto was immediately flabbergasted by his statement; he had so many questions, but he didn't know which to ask first. "…You… fired…? I—wha—whe—ho—Why?"

"…Ya got a new design of zombies comin' out this fall," the blond answered quietly. "I'm not just a failure, Kaiba. I'm obsolete. Your zombies stay in one piece now, and they're more gruesome. I'm not scarin' people as much as I used to. I'm just a big joke now. It's just better that I get outta the way and let newer zombies take their rightful place."

He was surprised by the silence he received for his explanation; he'd quite expected to be thrown down and throttled for complaining. He relaxed a little as the brunet took a few steps back, then looked away, frowning, as he tried to ignore how embarrassed he felt.

"Alright, Mr. Wheeler, I hear you're in for some catgut stitches today!" the flesh-tailor stated cheerfully as he came into the room. "What sort of stitch would you like?"

Joey smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by the brunet, who had apparently decided to come out of his stupor. "There's been a change of plans. He wants mostly polypropylene stitches, but stainless steel sutures where it's better for them. Also, he wants a complete resuturing—horizontal mattress stitches, please."

The man blinked at him, stunned. "Complete restitching? That's quite expensive, sir, and—"

Seto's eyes flashed red for a moment. "You clearly have no idea who I am. I'm Seto Kaiba. I can afford for him to be restitched thousands of times."

As the tailor continued to gape, his nurse merely smiled and took his orders in stride. "Alright then, sweetie, let's get you into a gown."

"But—" Joey began, confused.

"Honey, he's paying for an entire body-restitching. Shut up and come with me before he changes his mind," she hissed, grabbing his still-disembodied hand and shoving him out the door.

Seto pulled his checkbook out. "Who do I make it out to? You or the company?"

The tailor could only gape in response.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Stepping off of the elevator, Joey frowned, unconsciously wringing his hands together. He looked at Karin nervously. "He's not gonna chop me t' bits again, is he?"

The poltergeist frowned and tilted her head, giving his question some serious thought. "I don't think so. He's not in the murdering mood, and you know demons—they have to be in the right mood."

The younger boy flinched. "Uh… I…" He paused. "Uh, well, I…" He took a deep breath, then began toward the door. "I guess I'll go in then…" He thought about knocking, then decided it would be best if he just got it over with and face his maker as quickly as possible.

Seto looked up as the doors slammed open and raised an eyebrow, then motioned to the chair he'd had pulled up in front of his desk. "Have a seat."

Joey gulped but sank into the seat nonetheless. "Ya called for me t' meet ya up here, Kaiba…?"

"Yes. I thought I'd explain something to you when I realized how… badly I made something sound to you." The brunet paused thoughtfully, then nodded to himself. "It was pretty awful of me to put it that way—saying that you were a failure and all." He paused, frowning, as he tried to figure out how to explain. "…I meant in a business sense of the word.

"I was young and inexperienced when I pieced you back together and brought you back to life. It wasn't a bad idea, of course. You were quite a scary zombie and you're a hard worker. The only thing I didn't foresee was that you'd be such a success, and I'll admit I was unprepared." He sighed. "One thing about business that you can always count on is demand for a good product. I didn't realize you'd be so good for my first project, so I was unprepared for the amount of demand for you. Another thing I hadn't taken into account was the fact that I couldn't make more of you if you _were _a success.

"I could bring back hundreds of zombies, but they'd still have the same personality they'd had before they died. There wasn't a guarantee that they'd all be as scary or hardworking as you, and I have to admit, you were a learning experience… And I learned that I had to use a different system to make zombies for Halloween. You're not a failure because you're not better than the other zombies." He glanced the blond over, pleased to see firm stitches made of a material that wouldn't be absorbed. "You're a failure because you had so much potential and I had no way of seeing it realized."

Joey blushed a little and looked down at arm, picking gently at one of the ends of the stitches. "Oh. I thought—Well. Um… Thanks. I guess." He jumped as the brunet's hand gently grabbed his own, looking up at him in surprise. "Uh-!"

"I didn't pay for you to rip your own stitches out," Seto stated quietly, then took the blond's hand between each of his own. "You really didn't like having these stitches, do you, Joey?"

"Of course not." The zombie frowned and curled his fingers a few times. "…I didn't wanna die, but I didn't wanna come back and be some freak that falls apart because his stitches come loose. Thanks for payin' for me, Kaiba, but I don't wanna depend on ya every time I need t' get my sutures redone."

The demon hummed and licked his lips thoughtfully, then snarled and jerked the blond's head to the side, sinking his fangs into the zombie's firm but warm flesh. He snarled again as the former-human screamed, shuddering with pleasure as the younger boy's agony nearly vibrated through his teeth. Reaching down for the blond's arm—the one that his hand never seemed to want to reattach to—he dug his sharp nails into the smooth skin between the sutures, smearing the blood there to cover the two halves of skin forcibly attached together.

Joey screamed again, trying to jerk away, but the brunet only turned and slammed him down on his desk, sweeping his papers and various office items aside quickly. "Kaiba sto-!" He gasped raggedly as the brunet's teeth sunk deeper, tearing his skin into bloody ribbons as the hand gripping his forearm suddenly burned with hellfire. He choked on the next scream of desperation as he felt his stitches being burned away, sobbing quietly as the demon on top of him ripped away from his neck with a slurp. "Why-! _Why?_"

Seto licked the blood from his lips carelessly and lifted the blond's arm to examine it. "…Well, you won't be losing _this_ hand again."

"Ha… Wha…" The zombie hiccupped quietly, confused and terrified as the demon stroked the skin where his hand had been severed from his arm. "Kaiba, why-!"

"You mentioned how tired you were of having to be stitched back together again and again. Now, you won't have to worry about it." The brunet held up his arm so he could see where he'd burned away the stitches and—for lack of a better word—cauterized the two halves of his limb back together. "It'll scar, and the process will hurt for every part of your body that I do this to, but I can make your body whole again."

Joey lifted a hand to cup his bleeding neck, tears still trickling down his cheeks as he felt the mess that had been made of his throat. "But… but why did ya… Kaiba… it hurts!"

"I thought blood was in this year," the brunet teased.

The zombie huffed awkwardly. "No, blood was in last year. Scars are in this year, ya moron. Don't ya pay attention to the designs of the zombies you create?"

Seto paused, blinking at him in surprise, then turned, kicking aside some papers until he found a folder holding the designs for this year's line of zombies. Opening it, he peeked inside at the designs and frowned when he examined the pictures. The flesh of the zombies was rotted and scarred to hell and back—no pun intended. There wasn't even the smallest fraction of unblemished skin.

He turned his gaze to the younger boy's body and raised an eyebrow. The blond's body, mostly unblemished except for the stitching and a few scars, still somehow managed to exhibit how beautiful it had been before it had been chopped to pieces. …He didn't like the entire-body scarring the new zombies had going on.

"…I believe the scarring will look more attractive on you…"

"Really?" The zombie looked himself over again. "…Maybe you're right. But can we wait until another time t' do another part? That really hurt and I'm tired and I'm gettin' blood everywhere."

Seto glanced at the blond's throat and hummed proudly when he saw the damage he'd done. Leaning back to grab his hand and help him stand up straight, he purred, "Well, I suppose next time I'll just have to distract you with something more… pleasurable."

Joey blinked up at him innocently. "Like what?"

"…Just…" The demon sighed and rolled his eyes, then shook his head and turned to walk toward the door. "Never mind. Come on—let's go get your neck sewn up."

"Ya didn't hafta rip my neck open, ya jerk," the zombie mumbled, but followed him nonetheless. "And we can just leave out the bitin' next time?"

Seto snorted. "I require a blood offering for my powers. Just because your blood is old and stagnant does not mean it is not acceptable."

"Ya needed my blood t' make _fire?_" Joey asked skeptically.

The brunet glared at him. "It was _hellfire,_ not just fire!"

"…Right." Clearly still unconvinced, the younger boy continued to follow him. "Can we just use the absorbable stuff then, if you're just going to rip my neck open again?"

"No, I'm going to use silk," Seto replied, dragging him into the nearest lab/infirmary and forcing him to sit down. "It'll be easier for my teeth to tear through than plastic or wire." He smacked the blond's hand away from his throat. "Now sit still. Oh—I was going to give you full coverage for any repairs you might need, but since I'm burning you back together, there's no point. However, I am giving you back full coverage for any other cosmetic needs you have."

Joey frowned awkwardly. "Uh, could ya give me a little coverage for repairs?" When the brunet gave him a deadpanned look, he blushed a little and glanced away. "…I don't wanna have that fire anywhere near my dick."

"…It would only last a minute—"

"KAIBA, I MAY BE A ZOMBIE, BUT I HAVE THE RIGHT T' PROTECT MY GENITALS."

Seto frowned. With what he had planned for the blond, if he kept the stitches, they'd be restitching his groin every other day. No, it was best to cauterize those back on too, even if he did have to deal with the initial pain. …Perhaps he could do it while the blond was sleeping, and when he was jolted awake, he could soothe him with a blowjob…

The blond scowled at him. "…I don't like the look on your face. What are ya thinkin' about?"

"…Do you like blowjobs?"

"What the hell kind of question is that!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "A pertinent one." When the zombie glared at him, he hurriedly added, "Execution wise, I don't see how it would work. You have stitches down there."

Joey jerked his head away, trying to hide the blush he felt burning his cheeks. "…They're okay, I guess. But people don't really like givin' em' t' me. They don't like the feel of stitches in their mouths, and one time a girl cut her lip on them. It was really embarrassing…" He scowled again. "BUT YOU'RE NOT DOIN' ANYTHING T' ME DOWN THERE!"

Seto hummed, smirking. "Even if I was willing to give you a—OW!"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY!" the blond roared, kicking him in the stomach.

The demon spent the next few minutes on the floor, wondering how a zombie could be so strong. It would make him more difficult to seduce.


	49. Little Nymph V

Author's Note: BrowneyedShamer's story "Through Time and Space" is SO AWESOME. You should go take a look at it! It's amazing!

* * *

Little Nymph V

Seto frowned in concern. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Seto, you're sleepin' more, not goin' on a trip. I know how t' get food, and my sister said I can come and spend time with her. I'll be fine," Joey sighed, scowling at him. "Besides, this is probably better for us. People have been talkin' about a weird snake creature and have been tryin' t' get someone t' come kill it. Lie low this winter."

The naga nearly flinched. He had to admit he'd been careless lately, and a few humans had seen him. "…But I'll need to hunt, and…"

"I'll bring meat for ya." Joey frowned as the brunet sighed forlornly and walked over to cup his cheeks. "Seto, please. I just wanna keep ya safe." He pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "I wanna make sure that you're always here for me." He kissed him again, and the brunet slid his arms around his waist. "It'll just be for the winter, and when people don't see ya, they'll lose interest. I just wanna make sure no one hurts ya." He gasped as the older boy hugged him closer. "Seto!"

"I just want to coil around you and keep you with me all winter," Seto murmured, kissing his throat. "Mine…"

Joey squirmed and blushed a little. "Seto…"

"It sort of annoys me that you'll be fine without me," he admitted, frowning. "…It almost feels like you don't need me…"

The blond leaned back and cupped his cheeks, cooing, "Of course I need ya. I love ya, Seto. I'm just sayin' that I won't _like _havin' ya sleep all the time, but I'll be able t' deal with it 'cause ya need it t' be healthy."

Seto tugged him into another hug. "How am I supposed to go to sleep when you say things like that?"

Joey giggled as he felt the tip of the brunet's tail stroke the inside of his thigh. "Seto, ya already said ya didn't wanna sleep sticky."

"Suddenly the idea doesn't seem so bad." He kissed the blond's shoulder and sighed, then whined anxiously as the exhaustion he'd been feeling for the last few days suddenly began to take hold. "Fuck. I'm fading, Joey."

The younger boy kissed him gently and took a step back. "Seto, go to sleep."

"But I don't want…" Seto yawned widely, jaw cracking as he instinctively moved to the back of his den and coiled up. "Hmm… Come kiss me goodnight please…"

Joey giggled again but walked over to him anyway. "You're so silly, Seto." He leaned down to kiss him softly, and chuckled when the naga purred and finally settled. He stroked the brunet's cheek gently and kissed the top of his head. "Have a good rest, Seto. See ya tomorrow."

Seto would probably be asleep until noon the next day, and would only stay awake for a few hours—just long enough to eat, maybe cuddle a little (or even a round of sex) before he fell asleep again.

Joey had been both surprised and concerned when Seto had informed him that he'd be going into his version of hibernation, but he'd also been glad that the naga had told him about it. He knew that if he'd just woken up one morning and hadn't been able to wake his lover that he'd probably panic, and he didn't want to feel terror like he had when Seto had been shedding, even if he wasn't being hurt this time.

Sure, he wouldn't be able to amuse himself with Seto for a while, but Seto had assured him that he'd still cuddle in his sleep and that he _would_ wake up if there was an emergency, so that was okay.

"Maybe I'll go see Serenity," he mused, then turned and wandered out of the naga's den.

He could go shopping, too, which he hadn't done in quite some time—Serenity would give him money or possessions from people that had drowned nearby so that he could buy some things (either for her or just for fun). It was how he'd heard that people had actually spotted Seto, though he wondered how people hadn't noticed him when he'd been sleeping with a human girl.

Ah, well. Seto said he'd lie low for him, and that's all that mattered. He didn't want some 'hero' to come and slice his lover's head off just because he was half-snake and had a holier-than-thou attitude.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Have you seen that serpentine monster lately?"

"No, I haven't. Perhaps it slithered back to wherever it came from!"

"Or it's lying low and just waiting for the perfect time to _pounce_ on some unsuspecting young lady!"

Joey snorted a little as he listened to the group of women gossiping nearby, unable to help a smile even as the vendor of the stall he was examining gave him a funny look. "I think I'll take this one," he decided, pointing at a silver necklace that was formed to look like a snake head biting its own tail as a clasp. He'd wear it for when Seto woke up. Maybe he'd think it was funny.

"Maybe the creature's hibernating."

Joey's blood chilled at the suggestion. Who knew that Seto would be hibernating? Had they found Seto, or was it just a lucky guess? Was Seto still safe-?

The woman that had suggested it smiled at the other women that had turned toward her in affront, apparently insulted that she'd interrupt them; her eye patch made her look sinister, but her smile was friendly enough. "Snakes hibernate in the winter, you know."

One of the women looked relieved. "So we won't be seeing it again?"

"Probably not." The woman adjusted her eye patch and shrugged. "They sleep the entire winter and don't come out again until mid-spring. Waking up during the winter is hazardous to their health."

Joey frowned in concern even as he paid the vendor for his necklace. He brought his hand to his chest as he stared down at the table sightlessly. What if Seto was only waking up for him? What if waking up every day was taking a toll on his health? _Would_ Seto put his health ahead of Joey's comfort?

"Joey, you stay in the forest with the other nymphs, don't you?" one of the women asked, turning toward him abruptly.

He blinked, shrugging awkwardly. "Well… sometimes."

"Have you seen the monster?"

"Oh, uh… Well, no. No, I don't think so," he answered, shrugging again. "I haven't really been lookin', though…" He gasped as he felt someone come up to stand behind him and turned. "Wha-?"

The man behind him smirked, showing off surprisingly sharp eyeteeth as his golden eyes glinted in the sunlight. "Well, I'd heard a rumor about a half-nymph that likes to come into town, but I never imagined that you'd be so _beautiful._"

Joey blushed brightly and squeaked as the women behind him tittered, and he knew they'd be gossiping about this for days. "Oh, well, um, thanks?"

"Are you busy, by any chance?" the man cooed.

Joey flinched, eyes wide. "Just what are ya suggestin'?"

He leaned down to brush his lips over the blond's ear and whispered, "I think you know what I'm suggesting, little one."

Seto would kill this man and then keep Joey inside the cave for the rest of his life (if he didn't kill him too, that is).

"I-I actually have somewhere t' be. Sorry." Joey smiled nervously, then turned to nod at the vendor in gratitude. "Thanks for the necklace." He gently pushed past the man and walked toward the forest swiftly, unable to help a few nervous glances over his shoulder just in case he was being followed. When he saw that he wasn't being followed, he scampered past the tree line and began toward the den.

Seto would be waking up soon. He'd ask him about his hibernating and whether or not it was healthy, just to be sure that Seto was being upfront with him.

Watching the half-nymph run off, the woman with the eye patch excused herself from the gossiping hens and came up beside her partner. "Well, James? What did you pick up?"

"He reeks of serpent," James replied, nose twitching a little. "He knows where the naga is. All we have to do is get everything set up and track him." He paused, breathing deeply to catch any last whiffs of the blond's surprisingly sweet scent. "…Margaret, it's been an awfully long time since you've allowed me to rut with you, and—"

"Yes, you can fuck the blond, but _only _after we get the naga," she snapped, rolling her eye in disgust. "Really, James, is that the only thing you ever think of?"

James tilted his head. Yes, it was, at least for the moment. The females of his species were in heat now, and his body wanted nothing more than to find one and rut away until the season was over.

Well, the sooner they caught the naga, the sooner he could pound the nymph into oblivion. He licked his lips in anticipation and began toward one of their covered wagons, unable to help imagining what it would be like to fuck the slim blond.

After all… he'd never fucked a nymph before.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Hearing a disgruntled muttering inside the den, Joey dropped his bag and ran into the cave. "Seto, you're awake!"

"'course I'm awake," the naga hissed, scowling, then slithered toward him sluggishly. He wrapped around the blond and slid his arms around his waist. "You weren't here when I woke up. I'm falling asleep again soon and I'm hungry. I want to spend as much time with you as possible before I fall asleep again."

Joey nuzzled the brunet's neck gently, then leaned back, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry. I was in town."

"So I see." Seto snorted when he saw the necklace around the nymph's throat, reaching out to gently touch the silvery snake head. "What is this?"

The blond smiled brightly. "Isn't it cute?"

"It's disgusting. It's eating itself." He tilted his head a little, then smiled and leaned his forehead against the younger boy's. "Well, I guess it _is_ cute on _you._ Otherwise, it's alarming."

Joey leaned in to kiss his cheek and sighed when the end of the naga's tail wrapped around his leg. "Maybe before ya fall asleep I can use my mouth on ya."

"But I want to be inside you," Seto moaned, giving him a light squeeze. "It's been a long time since I've had you."

The younger boy frowned and replied, "It's been a few weeks, yeah, but the last time we tried ya fell asleep on me. That was disappointin' beyond words."

The brunet at least had the grace to blush. "Well, yes, I see why you would be hesitant to try again. …What about doing it right now, before I get too tired?" he suggested, smirking in a way he knew the nymph found sexy.

Joey laughed and tapped him on the nose as he took a step back. "Ya need t' eat, Seto. Maybe tomorrow, when I'm actually here the minute you wake up."

"…Hibernations have never been this terrible before," the naga complained.

Remembering what he'd heard in town, the blond turned and looked up at him again quickly. "Seto, are you supposed t' be wakin' up every day when you're hibernatin'? Shouldn't ya be sleepin' the entire winter?"

Seto blinked. "Maybe, if I were actually a _snake._" The brunet reached out to cup the nymph's cheeks with his hands. "Do these feel like a snake? Are these snake hands?"

Joey giggled in embarrassment as the naga's fingers tickled his neck and ears playfully. "No-! They're human hands!"

"And do humans hibernate all winter, Joey?"

"No-!" The blond giggled again when the older boy leaned down to blow across his neck. "Ee!"

"Then why would _I_ sleep all winter?" Seto kissed him softly. "This is how I hibernate, Joey. I wouldn't lie to you and make myself sick. I know that my being sick would upset you and I would never do anything that I knew would make me sick. Okay?"

Joey smiled bashfully and glanced away. "Yeah, I guess. I shoulda known…"

"…Did you bring me anything from town?" the brunet asked after a moment.

"…Oh! I bought some mutton!" The nymph clasped his hands together, unable to help being excited when he saw the brunet's eyes light up. The naga liked eating sheep, but he was hesitant to eat more than a stray sheep when he came across one so that farmers wouldn't get angry. "I left it outside. Lemme go get it!"

Seto watched the blond scamper back out of the den, smiling, then turned and slithered over to the corner, fighting back a yawn. He _did_ have a few hours a day where he was awake, but he was usually groggy and fuzzy. It was only because of his mate that he was even lucid enough for sex.

He very much appreciated that the blond would still have sex with him even with the looming threat that he might fall asleep in the middle of it. Like last time. Joey had been upset, he could tell, but he hadn't said anything.

…Joey deserved something really special. He didn't know what, but he knew he should get him something.

"Seto-!"

Seto turned immediately at the frightened tremor in his lover's voice, eyes widening when he found a man standing behind the nymph, one arm wrapped around his throat so tightly that he could see the blond struggling to breathe. He hissed as the brown-haired man smirked at him, golden eyes glinting as he jerked his arm around the blond's neck and made him choke.

Infuriated, Seto snarled and began to lunge forward, but then the man drew out a knife and slid the blade against the silky tunic, pressing it against the nymph's ribs threateningly, so he froze and took a moment to reassess the situation.

"Well, well, well, we've been looking all over for a naga, and this one's so easily manipulated." A woman with an eye patch stepped into their den, making the brunet bristle angrily but unable to do anything. She smiled a nasty smile and held up a leather mask. "How would you like to save your lover?"

Seto turned his eyes on the trembling nymph, frowning and fighting back a hiss of concern when he saw tears running down his cheeks. His tail twitched awkwardly. "…I… I don't…"

The woman's visible brow lifted in surprise. "Oh? Alright then. James—"

The naga let out a noise of desperation as the strange man turned and slammed Joey against the wall of the cave and grabbed his hair to yank his head to the side. When he saw the knife flash against his pale neck, he hurriedly cried out, "_No!_"

"No?" The woman smirked again. "If you want your lover to live, you're going to have to give yourself up, naga."

Seto frowned and slithered backward a few inches. "…You're going to kill me?"

"Oh, of _course_ not. What sort of circus would we be if we killed the attractions?" she cooed, stepping toward him. Her eye glinted maliciously. "Seto, he called you? That's a lovely name."

Seto's eyes darted back to his lover. He saw terror and guilt and he wanted nothing more than to take the nymph into his arms and soothe him, but when he saw the knife glinting at his neck, he knew he had no other choice. Turning toward the woman, he sighed, then nodded slowly. He suddenly felt exhausted down to his bones, and it had nothing to do with his hibernation.

"Alright." He ignored the way Joey's breath hitched, maybe with the want to protest, and slithered forward. "I know what that mask is for. Just… get it over with." He fought the urge to sink his fangs into her hands, allowing her to wrap the leather mask around the bottom half of his face.

He couldn't help a startled grunt as she suddenly yanked him around and twisted his arms behind his back, using thick metal shackles to bind his wrists together. He wriggled angrily and turned to slam his tail into her, but she merely wrapped an arm around his neck and somehow used her weight to slam him into the ground, leaving him wheezing.

This woman obviously knew what she was doing, keeping him from using his fangs and restraining his arms so he could sink his claws into her. He snarled as he felt something being wrapped around his neck and thrashed wildly, but then the leather collar around his throat was attached to his shackles with a thick chain, and she was using another chain attached to his collar to drag him toward her. He growled.

She merely smirked in response. "I've dealt with unruly naga before, _Seto._ You're not going to best me."

James turned to look at them, to make sure the serpent-man was subdued, then smirked, relaxing his grip on the nymph he was holding. "If only all of the other naga we dealt with were this easy to manipulate."

Seto growled as the man carelessly threw Joey to the ground, where he coughed and wheezed pathetically. He yelped as the woman grabbed a wooden club from her belt and hit him in the head.

"Shut up, James. Well, let's get going."

James frowned and tilted his head. "I thought you said I could…"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "_Fine,_ James, just hurry the fuck up. _Come on,_" she growled at the naga, glaring at him.

Seto struggled for a moment, head still spinning from the strike as he tried to slither toward his lover, but the woman somehow dragged him out of his den, leaving his little nymph in the room with the strange man that he could tell wasn't normal. He grunted and growled as she threw him onto a thick-roped net and attached the chain she'd been dragging him with to the saddle of a horse. He struggled wildly for a moment as the woman got onto one of the other horses but whipped around when he heard a scream from inside the den.

"_Get off of me! Get off! No! Get off of me—nooooo!_"

Seto lunged toward the den, but then the woman grabbed the reigns of the horse he was attached to and the reason for the net he was on became clear when the horse was urged into a gallop. He could only watch in horror as his den was lost in the distance, where his lover was being assaulted and he could do nothing about it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey screamed as the man on top of him ripped the top of his tunic, smacking his hands away as he desperately tried to kick him off. "Get off of me! Get off!"

James growled angrily and grabbed the blond's knees, shoving them apart roughly and smirking when the nymph tried to shove his hands away and close his legs again. "You're a silly little nymph, aren't you?" he cooed, then slapped his ass roughly. "Thinking you'd be any match for a bear shifter. Really."

"NO! GET OFF OF ME!" The blond scrabbled wildly for something to defend himself and sobbed in relief as his fingers closed around a large rock. Bringing the rock up, he slammed it into the brunet's head, angrily shouting, "GET OFF!"

While the man was stunned, he scrambled out from under him and ran out of the den, stumbling when the brunet leapt after him. He tried to keep standing but was quickly wrestled to the ground. "No-!"

"You brazen little _bitch,_" James snarled, slamming the nymph's head against the ground. "You pull something like that again and I'm going to fuck you until you _die._"

Joey whimpered as he felt the man grabbing between his legs, reaching back to grab his hair and feebly try to yank him away. "No…! Get off!" His other hand scrabbled wildly for something to use as a weapon.

His breath hitched as his fingers trailed over a large stick, and he reached desperately to get his hand around it. Once he had it firmly in his palm, he turned, using the momentum from spinning around to slam the branch into the man's skull. While he was stunned, he hit him again.

James roared angrily and reached out to grab his arm, intending to break it, but then the nymph hit him again—and again. Joey took a step back as the man fell to the ground, stunned, then lunged forward and continued to beat him with the branch until he became aware of the blood and gray mush splattered around his body.

Joey panted quietly, gulped, then dropped the branch and stumbled backward, disoriented and head still spinning from being slammed into the ground. When he realized what he'd done, though, he gasped and turned, scampering toward the river his sister inhabited in terror. What if that woman came back for her partner and found him dead? She'd hunt him down for revenge for sure!

Once at the river, he didn't even pause to say hello to his sister, instead running into the water and scrubbing himself frantically. "Oh gods, what have I done-!"

Serenity blinked, surprised, but when she saw the water being tinted pink, she rushed over to her brother and began to help him wash the blood and brain matter away. "Joey, what happened?"

"He was gonna _rape_ me!" Joey exclaimed, turning toward her quickly. He tried to stay strong in front of his sister, but the tears came anyway. "They kidnapped Seto and then the guy tried t' rape me so I—so I—"

The full-blooded nymph immediately scowled, the water around her bubbling angrily. "If you hadn't, I would have tracked him down and _drowned_ him."

The blond sobbed helplessly and shook his head. "But they tied Seto up so he couldn't fight and took him away!"

"We'll just have to track him down, won't we?" she stated simply, then stepped out of the water and coughed quietly. "Don't tell anyone I'm about to do this."

Joey sniffled in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Just shut up!" She glared at him, then huffed and turned toward the trees, cooing, "Oh, Tristan!"

The blond stared at her for a moment, baffled, until he saw a satyr come galloping out of the forest. He was momentarily frightened for his sister, but then the satyr knelt in front of her and grasped her hand, his other hand clutching his chest. "Serenity! You called!"

Joey stared.

Serenity giggled nervously; she could _sense_ the thoughts of 'what the fuck did I just see' and 'I DO NOT APPROVE' oozing from her brother. "Yes. You said you were an excellent tracker during one of our conversations, didn't you?"

"Of course!" the brunet boasted. "What is it you need me to track, beautiful?"

"My brother's lover was kidnapped and we need to find him."

Tristan stared at her blankly, then turned to look at the blond still standing in the river. "…Oh, that snake guy that killed Molro when he was trying to fuck your brother. Sorry about him!" he called, shrugging. "He was a huge asshole and no one really liked him anyway." He glanced the blond up and down, then raised an eyebrow. "But he had good taste."

Serenity huffed and cleared her throat. "A-_hem._"

The brunet coughed. "But he's not as beautiful as you, Serenity."

"That's what I thought," she hissed.

Joey couldn't bring himself to be offended. His sister was a very beautiful nymph.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto watched with glazed-over eyes as another naga was forced into the caged ring with him, looking just as tired and hungry as he was. He knew the drill now. If he wanted to eat, he had to kill the other naga and _maybe_ he'd be fed—in front of the crowd jeering at him, of course, so they could ooh and ahh when he tore into the raw meat. If he was really desperate, he'd dislocate his jaw and swallow his meal whole, which the crowd _really_ enjoyed.

But his opponent was so young, so small. He didn't want to kill the little boy that was looking up at him in terror. He knew it weigh on his conscience until he messed up and was killed himself.

He heard the bell that signaled they should begin fighting and immediately darted at the younger naga, circling around him in a flash. Instead of killing him quickly, though, he slapped the boy with the end of his tail, sending him rolling over the ground but giving him a chance to fight back.

The boy squirmed upright again and turned to face him, extending his fangs in what would normally be a threatening manner if Seto didn't know he was much better at fighting. Seeing that the younger naga was now relying on his instinct to survive, he decided to go in for the kill; his instinct to survive was coming forward now as well, and all he knew was that he wanted to win so that he could be _fed._

"_Seto, no!_"

Seto turned sharply at the sound of his mate's voice, looking around wildly for the blond. He smiled when he saw the blond running toward the cage he was penned in and began slithering toward the barbed fencing in relief.

He'd forgotten he'd aroused the other boy's fighting instinct. He felt razor sharp fangs sink into his side and roared, turning to smack the younger boy away. His vision blurred for a moment as he fell against the barbed links.

Joey gasped and reached through one of the spaces to cup his cheek. "Seto!" He turned to his sister, startled when he found her wiping the floor with the woman with the eye patch as Tristan distracted the other circus workers. Turning back to the caged area, he began pulling at the heavy door, wondering how the stupid circus transported it.

Once the door was open, Seto lunged outside, gripping his side to try and staunch the bleeding. When Joey began to shut the door, trying to lock what he thought was another threatening naga inside, though, he shoved the blond out of the way and moved aside.

The younger boy bolted, weaving between the circus workers and poisoning anyone who grabbed him now that his fangs were no longer hindered by thick leather. Seto waited until he was sure the younger naga was gone before grabbing his mate and slithering out as well, at a more sedate pace. The smaller naga's poison wasn't yet strong enough to pose a serious threat to him—he wasn't old enough to fatally wound him—but he was still feeling even more sluggish and slow than he had before.

Joey looked up at him in concern. "Seto, you're bleedin'! Set me down, I—"

Seto spat at him to shut up and continued slithering. He knew he was fading fast, but he'd be damned if he was going to stay out in the open for those circus freaks to capture him again.

The blond yelped as the naga dropped him and flinched a little, then gasped as the older boy fell just a few feet from him, writhing wildly in an attempt to keep moving but much too tired to move. "Seto!" He looked around for someplace to hide in case the circus people came after them, sighing in relief when he realized they were near a river.

Serenity could use the water to protect them until Seto could move again, and Tristan had proven to be a very capable fighter. Hooking his arms under the older boy's, he began dragging him toward the water. He knew that Seto didn't necessarily like to get wet, but it would keep him safer with Serenity and it would give Joey a chance to clean the wound on his side, which was oozing puss and blood grotesquely.

"Gods, you're heavy," he groaned, glad for the mud to make dragging the larger creature easier. "Come on, Seto. We'll be okay."

Glazed blue eyes looked up at him hazily, but then the naga's lips quirked into a smile. "Joey… Mine…"

Joey blushed and smiled back at him only to yelp as he stepped on something and slipped, sending them both tumbling down a hill—luckily into the river, but he was momentarily disoriented when the naga landed on top of him, forcing him under the water. Shoving the brunet off, he sat up and gasped, then turned, pulling the older boy's torso into his lap. "Seto? Ya okay? Ya hurt?"

"…We just roll down a cliff?" Seto slurred, looking up at him dazedly.

The nymph frowned and cupped his cheek. "You okay, Seto?"

"…'m _tired,_" he sighed, frowning. He reached up to place his hand over the blond's and whined in concern. "That man… did he…?"

"No. He's—uh—Well, you'll see when we get home," Joey muttered awkwardly. When the naga gave him a look clearly stating 'tell me now or I will drag myself upright and fight every instinct to sleep just to piss you off,' he sighed and looked away. "Um, I… I beat him t' death with a stick."

The naga blinked at him in surprise, then purred proudly. "Like you would have before you left me the first time… You're back to yourself, hmm…?"

Joey blinked at him in confusion. "What are ya talkin' about?"

"After I rescued you from that whore house, you needed me to protect you." Seto hummed and nuzzled closer to him. "Before that, you either ran or protected yourself. You can protect yourself again. I like that." He purred. "Spunky. Missed that."

The blond blushed a little. "Oh… Ya coulda said somethin' if ya really didn't like protectin' me—"

"Didn't mind…" The naga leaned up to kiss him softly. "Just missed the haughty attitude." He kissed him again. "Love you, Joey…"

Joey gasped quietly, eyes widening as the naga fell still in his lap. "…You just said that… Ya never… I…" He felt tears forming in his eyes even as he pulled the older boy closer. "You're not even gonna remember this when ya wake up tomorrow," he whispered, then sobbed.

Seto never remembered what he said right before he fell asleep. He couldn't even remember if they'd finished their round of sex or not if he fell asleep right after, leaving Joey with a confused and apologetic naga when he woke. Even when he'd assured the brunet that they'd both finished, Seto had never quite believed him because he still couldn't remember even when it was described in great detail to him.

He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he told Seto that he'd admitted he loved him. It was probably just the exhaustion and thankfulness at being rescued that made him say it, anyway, not because he'd actually wanted to or because he'd planned it or anything. Joey sighed shakily and wiped his eyes as he sensed his sister approaching through the water.

She frowned in concern. "Is he okay, Joey?"

Joey nodded and ran his hand through the brunet's hair gently. "Yeah, just tired. We won't be able t' move again until he wakes up tomorrow. I can't carry him very far and he doesn't like waking up in places he doesn't remember gettin' to. He's already gonna be cranky enough tomorrow."

"I guess I can guard us that long. Tristan and I will keep a look out." Serenity smiled and reached out to stroke her brother's cheek. "I'm glad you got your lover back, Joey. You two go so well together."

Joey smiled bashfully and opened his mouth to reply, but then Seto grunted and started trying to coil up, slipping from his arms. He sputtered in confusion as he fell into the water and slithered wildly.

The blond yelped and got to his feet to chase after him as the current, coupled with his slithering, began to pull him downriver. "Seto! Stop movin'!"

Serenity coughed to cover up a laugh. "Well. I suppose we should take turns watching out for those disgusting humans."

"…Yeah…" Tristan watched the blond hurry to pull the naga upright and dragged him over to the edge of the river. "…I don't know whether I should laugh or cry," he muttered when the half-nymph slipped, making them both tumble under the water again.

"How about a sympathetic stare," she suggested, cringing a little when the naga's tail flipped about and curled around her brother, causing them to fall onto the muddy bank and covering them both in a layer of dirt.

The satyr nodded. "Sympathetic stare. I can do that." He sighed when the blond tried to struggle out of his lover's scaly grip but couldn't because the brunet was holding him so tightly. "…My sympathy is overwhelming me."

Serenity sighed. "Welcome to my world."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto yawned widely, jaw cracking as he felt awareness coming back to him. He ran his hand through his lover's silky hair and sighed quietly, ready to slip back into slumber, but then he remembered what had happened yesterday—The fight with the younger naga, Joey coming to his rescue, fleeing as quickly as possible despite his exhaustion. Rolling down that hill and tumbling into the river, hearing that Joey had killed the man that had attacked him…

Seto purred with pride as he hugged the nymph closer. While he would admit that he really enjoyed protecting his mate, hearing that the blond could protect himself when push came to shove was incredibly comforting. He'd feel more comfortable leaving his nymph at home when he went to go hunting—

Home.

Seto sat up and looked around, taking in his surroundings, then looked up at the sun. Once he was oriented, he gathered Joey into his arms and began slithering through the water. On the other side of the river, he paused to nuzzle the blond's throat, smiling when he curled closer in his arms. He deserved something _very_ special, and when he figured out whatever it was, he was going to give it to him immediately.

Hearing scales gliding over grass, he turned his head sharply, just in time to see a gray flash disappear behind a tree. He narrowed his eyes and hissed quietly, frowning, then began slithering faster. Once he heard the other creature following him, he turned sharply, baring his fangs threateningly. "What do you _want?_"

The younger naga flinched backward, eyes wide, then turned and lunged into a bush. "Eek!"

Seto stared at the few inches of tail still sticking out of the leaves, raising his eyebrows as a clawed hand reached out and hurriedly pulled it into the safety of the branches. "…Right…" He shifted awkwardly, then decided not to worry about it since the other boy clearly didn't want a confrontation.

He couldn't help the growing confusion when the other naga continued following them, though.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey groaned and sat up, rubbing the small of his back with a grimace. _'You're not supposed t' hurt unless we've had sex, stupid body, especially down there. Ugh, I should get Seto t' let me walk instead of carryin' me the whole way. We may not get home as quickly, but at least we could—'_ Seeing scales that were darker than his lover's, he stared at them for a while before following the pattern up to a pale body.

He recognized the naga as the one Seto had been fighting with, the one that had bitten him. So why was he lying with them, tail curled around Seto's like they were nesting together? "GAAAHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Seto jerked awake and looked around wildly as the other naga shrieked and immediately slithered over to the nearest bush to hide in it. "Wha-? What's who doing?"

Joey scowled and cuddled up to the older boy. "You're mine."

"Hmm?" The brunet blinked his bleary eyes in confusion. "Yeah?"

"Not that other kid's."

"Wha' other kid? Hmm?" Seto yawned and glanced around, still baffled, then sat up, deciding that they should probably get going because they would be home in a couple of days—maybe even that evening, if he pushed himself. "What are you talking about, Joey?"

"That other naga had his tail wrapped around yours," Joey muttered, still scowling, and wrapped his arms around the brunet's neck when he scooped him up.

Seto frowned and began gliding through the grass. "It's cold, Joey. He probably just wanted to share body heat." When the blond only shot him a disgruntled look, he sighed in frustration. "Joey, lots of naga sleep together in the winter. Some naga even have orgies at the end of winter to celebrate the end of another hiberna—"

The brunet's head jerked sideways when the nymph's palm collided with his cheek. Stunned, he dropped the younger boy, bringing a hand to the bruising flesh as he slithered backward in confusion.

Joey stood, rubbing his rump tenderly even as he glared at him. "That _hurt!_"

"So did being slapped!" Seto snapped, glaring back at him. "You've been in a weird mood for the past few days! What's wrong? Why are you so mad? Did we have sex and I don't remember leaving you unsatisfied again before I fell asleep?"

"I'm mad because of somethin' ya did before ya fell asleep, but it wasn't sex!" the blond replied, crossing his arms and turning away.

The naga hissed and circled around him, snarling when the younger boy immediately turned away from him again. "What did I do, then? Flirt with someone? Make a pass at your sister? …Suggest you lose weight?"

Joey spun toward him angrily. "Ya said ya loved me!" He felt tears forming in his eyes and told himself it was because he was so angry, not because he was hurting.

Seto frowned, confused and horrified. "Why would I say that? I don't—"

"I know ya don't!" the blond exclaimed, tears escaping and rolling down his cheeks. "Ya say you're tryin' t' love me but it's obviously never gonna happen!" His breath hitched. "And now ya think I'm _fat?_"

The naga hissed quietly, crossing his arms. "I didn't mean that. I was just frustrated." He sighed when the nymph sobbed and began toward him, reaching out to hold him and comfort him. "Joey, it's not that I don't love you, it's just that—"

"Yes it _is,_" Joey hissed, glaring at him, and retreated so that Seto couldn't hold him. "You don't think I'm attractive anymore because I'm fat and you don't love me. I don't hafta put up with this."

Seto scowled. "You're perfectly attractive, Joey, and your curves just give me more to love. I care about you deeply and given time I _know_ I'll love you, but—"

"I don't wanna wait anymore!" the blond spat. "I shouldn't _hafta _wait anymore! I've waited so long, Seto—Maybe not long for you, because you'll live much longer than I will, but long enough for me, especially when you rejected me that first time." His breath hitched and he couldn't tell whether he was more angry or hurt. "Ya said ya loved me and I could _tell_ ya meant it then, and now you're sayin' ya don't love me? I can't do this, Seto, I just _can't._"

The brunet frowned. "Joey, please, I just need a little more time—"

Joey glared at him again and repeated, "I don't wanna wait anymore! I wanna love and be loved in return! I'm nineteen, Seto, and the only love I've ever gotten is from my sister! I _deserve_ t' be loved and I shouldn't hafta keep waitin' around hopin' that someday maybe you'll love me back!" He sobbed again, then turned and rushed toward the river, diving into it and disappearing beneath the surface.

Seto hissed, waiting for him to come up again, but then the speed of the river grew, and he saw a flash of red hair before Serenity went surging by and caught her brother as she continued on her way home. He whined quietly to himself when he realized that his lover would get home ahead of him, distressed when he realized that Joey probably wouldn't even go back to their den.

He supposed it was for the best. Joey would have time to cool down and he'd have time to think about an answer for him.

Hearing a soft hiss behind him, Seto turned, scowling. "What are you looking at?" he snapped, seeing that the younger naga hadn't hidden when he'd turned to look at him this time.

"…You told your mate that he's fat," the younger boy muttered, frowning.

Seto roared in frustration. "HE'S NOT FAT, HE'S CURVY!"

…But he'd insinuated that he thought Joey was fat.

The brunet sighed tiredly. Perhaps he had more to think about than he'd originally thought.

"…Can I stay with you until winter ends?" the younger naga asked hesitantly. "My home is very far away and I don't want to be caught asleep by some human that wants to kill me or throw me into a cage again."

Seto sighed again. "I guess you can stay with me until we get to my den. Then it'll be up to Joey. …Though by what I just saw, he doesn't much like the idea of me touching anyone else…"

"You made it seem like we were going to have sex as soon as winter was over. I'd be a little mad, too." The younger boy took in the distressed expression on the brunet's face, then hesitantly offered, "My name's Mokuba."

"I'm Seto." Seto paused. "…That was Joey."

"He seems… nice. He's possessive of his mate. That's good, isn't it?" Mokuba smiled nervously. "He was cute."

The brunet hissed. "Don't get any ideas. I don't share."

The younger boy raised his hands in surrender. "He's too feisty for me anyway."

"You're damn right he is. Let's get going," Seto muttered, turning to go. "We can make it to my den tonight if we hurry."

Mokuba decided he'd hurry as fast as the brunet wanted. Sleeping out in open areas like this made him nervous, even when he was sticking close to an older and more experienced naga. …He just hoped Joey didn't come back and find them curled up together. He was afraid the jealous blond might actually try to kill him.


	50. Slave III

Author's Note: Why did I end it there? BECAUSE I COULD AND I'M TIRED, THAT'S WHY. We'll learn more later.

* * *

Slave III

Seto smiled as he saw the castle he shared with his family growing closer and let out a roar to let them know he was coming, despite the fact that he knew he'd be informing his traitorous uncle of his return as well. He heard a startled, answering call in the distance and roared again to confirm the disbelief he detected and was pleased to hear more answering calls. He felt the blond in his arms squirm as he began to wake and looked down at him in concern. He'd had to use the Python Grip on him a couple of more times as he traveled, and he figured he was in for a little struggle when the black dragon woke.

Swooping to the ground, he flapped his wings a few times to cool them down so they wouldn't cramp up. He hoped Joey wouldn't be _incredibly_ upset. He smiled as the blond blinked up at him and began to open his mouth, but the younger boy snarled and smacked him quickly. "Ow!"

Joey yelped as the brunet dropped him and stood up quickly. "What the fuck was that! That hurt! And ya did it more than once-!" He looked around and let out an angry screech when he didn't recognize his surroundings. "And where am I, you bastard!"

"I just wanted to get you away from your family—" Seto began, holding his hands up defensively as the blond bristled, poison dripping from his barb to sizzle into the dirt.

"—T' make me _your _slave? What, was I so horrible t' ya that ya needed some revenge?" He hissed angrily. "I was good t' you and ya kidnapped me from my home!"

"_Home?_ A home is someplace you can be comfortable!" Seto snapped, glaring at him. "It's someplace you can be _safe!_ I don't know what delusion you're under but you were neither of those things!"

Joey screeched again. "But ya don't deny that you're makin' me your slave? FUCK. YOU."

The brunet yelped as the younger boy tackled him and immediately began trying to fight him off. "Ow, damn it, that's not what I meant! OW! _GET OFF!_" He flung the black dragon off with his tail and lunged at him to try and pin him to the ground.

"Nnh-!" Despite the anger he felt, he was hurt, too. How could Seto be so cruel? He'd made love with him for weeks, and then the older boy had just… had just _stolen him_ away from everything he'd ever known, to this strange place where he knew he'd never fit in unless he was the brunet's own bed slave. "I hate you-! I hate you!" He clawed at the brunet's shoulders and began beating him with his tail. "Get off of me!"

Seto grunted and flinched as he felt the blond's poison sizzle on his skin, leaving a stinging burn on his flesh as he tried to pin his tail with his own. "Joey, please, just let me explain—_SHIT!_" He arched his back with an angry, betrayed screech as he felt the barb slice through his flesh, eyes widening as he felt the poison splatter into the open wounds. He whined and glared at the black dragon angrily as he finally wrestled his tail down to the ground with his own. "Joey, why would you—hhhnnnnnn…"

Joey frowned, brows furrowing together as he watched the brunet's pupils dilate. "…S-Seto? Are you… What's wrong-?" He gasped quietly as the older boy collapsed on top of him and reached up to grab his shoulders. "Seto-!" He reached around the brunet to hold him and paled when he felt the rough patches of burned skin and the wetness of blood. He'd never intended to _poison_ Seto-! He'd never intended to poison anyone!

Sure, he'd threatened it to some people, but he'd never really thought about carrying it out. He knew how bad his poison could be and he had certainly never planned on hurting someone he cared about with it. He was angry and hurt, not vengeful. He'd just wanted to burn off some of that anger before he listened to Seto, and…

Rolling the brunet off of him as he began to shudder and wheeze, Joey sat up and carefully maneuvered him onto his stomach so he could examine his cuts. "Oh no…" He bit his bottom lip as he took in the burns and acid-green scratches, then rolled onto his knees and bent over him, tracing the scratches with his fingers. If he just mixed some of his poison with some herbs, he could heal him. It wouldn't be quick, but it would be faster than letting him suffer through it, and—

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Joey yelped as two pairs of hands grabbed him and threw him to the ground, pinning his hands behind his back and twisting his tail around quickly to immobilize it. "Ah-!"

"Check the prince!"

"He's been poisoned!"

"Quickly, get him to the healer!"

The blond squirmed as he was dragged upward, crying out when one of the guards whipped his thin tail against the base of his own. He whimpered as his tail fell limp and found he couldn't control it; they'd done something so that he couldn't control the muscles in it. "Ah-!" The air was forced out of him as another guard punched him in the gut. He coughed and wheezed weakly until he felt more fists on his body, and he could only mew and whimper as the men continued beat him into a world of pain and senselessness. He only knew they were done when he felt his aching body being thrown over a sharp shoulder, digging painfully into his stomach.

He whined again. Maybe he shouldn't have taken his anger out on the brunet.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba rushed into his brother's room despite the other healers' calls for him to stop and not to go in. "Seto-!"

"Shh!" Ishizu glared at him for a moment. "Your Highness, I don't mind you disregarding the other healers and coming to see your brother, but you will _not_ disturb me or my work. Your brother has been badly poisoned."

The younger boy at least had the decency to look down at his feet. "I'm sorry. It's just… he's been missing so long, and… he disappeared right after our uncle was poisoned, so I thought…"

"His poisoning is unrelated to your uncle and cousin's," she replied quietly. "He was poisoned by a dragon found with him."

"Dragon poison?" Mokuba frowned. "So he'll be able to get through this himself?"

"Well, it appeared that way at first." She frowned and reached out to touch the brunet's burning forehead. "But he's suddenly taken a turn for the worse. I'm afraid that the only way to heal him now is to get the poison from the dragon that attacked him and make the antidote to it manually."

"Really?" Mokuba walked over to gently grasp his older brother's hand. "…I guess there's really no other choice, huh?" He sighed, then looked up at her. "Alright. You go down with the guards to get his poison so we can heal him then."

Ishizu dipped her head in a bow. "As you wish, Your Highness."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey lifted his head as the iron-barred door opened with a squeal, his glazed-over eyes traveling over the small group coming into the cell with him until they landed on what looked like a nutcracker. He stared at it for a few moments, baffled, until one of the guards walked over and slapped his tail, making it fall limp again. "Ngh-!"

He watched in confusion as two guards lifted his tail and blinked as the woman walked over and carefully took his barb into her hand. He saw the nutcracker being settled on either side of his barb and only then realized what they were doing. Letting out a terrified screech, he began to struggle against the chains holding him against the wall. "NO! NO! DON'T! PLEASE DON'T! PLEASE DON'T NOOOOOOOOO!"

Joey threw his head back with a scream of agony as he both heard and felt his hard barb cracking beneath the metal contraption. He sobbed as the woman peeled the cracked pieces apart as one of the guards held a bowl beneath it. "Stop! It hurts! Please stop! Please! _Please don't do this to me!_" he wailed, tears rolling down his cheeks as the woman reached into his barb and carefully squeezed the poison sac inside until he felt the sizzling poison dribble out of his cracked barb. He sobbed as it burned his open wounds and turned his head away, body trembling with exertion. "Why-! Why!"

Once all of the poison had been drained, the woman looked up at him with an expression almost like pity. "If you hadn't poisoned His Highness in the first place, we wouldn't have had to do this. You should have left him alone instead of attacking him. While I didn't exactly relish the thought of doing this to you, you brought this upon yourself, and His Highness had every right to order this."

Joey watched her leave in disbelief, unable to even choke out that _'His Highness'_ had kidnapped him and intended to enslave him. His throat was raw from screaming and even if it hadn't been, he doubted that they'd even listen to him. They'd beaten him a few times since he'd been brought in for even having the audacity to _look_ at Seto, let alone attack him, so he sincerely believed that they'd only smack him around if he tried to speak to them.

…_His Highness_ had ordered this?

Joey sobbed again. Seto had ordered for his barb to be cracked open? To have his poison cruelly squeezed out when he would have gladly offered it to heal him?

Seto had been so tender with him as his slave, had acted like he cared, but that had all been a lie. He'd been using his body and, when he decided that the blond was a good fuck, had stolen him from his home with every intention of making _him_ a bed slave. He had no regard for Joey as a person—only as a toy.

The blond sobbed and fell limp in the chains, sagging to the ground desolately. "Seto…" He turned his head and choked back another sob, sniffling. "Seto, I hate you…!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto groaned as he drifted back into consciousness and bit his bottom lip. "Uhn… Ow…" His body ached down to his bones. He blinked his eyes open resolutely and groaned. "Ouch… Damn it…" He sat up slowly and looked around, comforted when he recognized his surroundings. He was in his room back at the castle—his cousin's castle, that is.

He ached, but he wasn't in terrible pain. He smiled and turned to look at his side where he knew Joey always snuggled up against him. He was confused for a moment when the blond wasn't there, but then he remembered being poisoned. The guards that had been coming to meet him had probably separated them for fear that Joey would try to hurt him again.

…He probably could have handled the argument before being poisoned better, too. He hoped Joey wasn't still angry with him.

Turning as the door to his room opened, he smiled as his little brother stepped inside, rasping, "Mok'ba."

Mokuba looked up at him sharply, then let out a delighted whoop and rushed over to tackle him. "Seto, you're okay!"

Seto hugged him tightly despite how much it had hurt to be slammed into and despite how much his muscles protested. "Mokuba."

The younger boy nuzzled against him affectionately. "Seto, I really missed you. When Uncle and Yami were poisoned and you disappeared, I thought—"

Seto frowned. "Poisoned?"

"Oh, uh… Well, since you grounded me from dessert, I didn't get any," Mokuba explained hesitantly. "And I guess someone had put poison into it. Yami stopped eating before he consumed enough to kill him, but Uncle, well… he's gone now. And with Yami indisposed and you missing, I've had to act as king here. …It's _awful._"

"Of course it is. Now you understand why I never once tried to steal the crown," the brunet replied, smiling a little. "It's just too much trouble. Now, tell me, where is Joey?"

The younger boy blinked at him in confusion and quietly repeated, "Joey…?"

"He's my… companion." Seto paused, then shrugged. "I'll explain it to you completely later. In any case, I'd like to see him."

"Your companion…?" Mokuba blinked at him again.

The older boy scowled. "The one that the guards probably brought in with me. Blond, black wings, hesitant but polite. He's the one that accidentally poisoned me. I want to see him." He felt worry cause his stomach to flip as he watched the blood drain from his little brother's face. "Where is he, Mokuba? You didn't just leave him out there on his own, did you?"

The smaller dragon immediately recoiled, looking ashamed and horrified and confused all at once. "I thought… I thought… the guards told me that he'd been trying to kill you. I had him put in the dungeons."

Seto squeaked. But he could smooth this over. He could. It was a simple misunderstanding. Joey would forgive them. There'd just been some confusion. "Okay. I'll go get him."

The younger boy seemed to shrink under his gaze. "Um… You'll… you'll need the key. The guards said he was dangerous, so I had them use the shackles."

A little harder to explain away, but Joey was a forgiving person. "Okay. I'll grab it from one of the guards."

"…And… he hasn't been eating anything, and we've been having to force-feed him," Mokuba added hesitantly.

Seto felt the blood draining from his face as well. He hoped Joey was as forgiving as he thought he was. "Oh Ra."

"…And we drained the poison from his barb but he won't allow the healer near him so he's probably in a lot of pain."

Seto stared at his little brother as he watched him cringe away, looking disgusted with himself. "…Mokuba, you didn't… Why would you… Did you even go see him for yourself, or did you just take the guards at their word?" He couldn't help a whimper of his own when the younger boy shrugged uncomfortably. "You… you didn't… and…" He swallowed thickly. This had not been the reception he'd wanted for Joey.

He'd wanted Joey to feel safe and welcomed here. That obviously hadn't happened.

Leaping to his feet despite how achy and tired he felt, Seto let out a roar and slammed out of his room, nearly knocking Ishizu over in his haste as he marched up to the nearest guard, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and slammed him against the wall. "GET ME THE KEY FOR THE PRISONER'S SHACKLES AND GET READY TO HAVE YOUR ASSES KICKED!" he roared, then turned and threw him to the floor with a disgusted snarl at the terror he'd seen in the other man's eyes.

The guards had been using his brother's innocence to their advantage. When Yami got better, he'd have to inform him to reprimand them. Until then, he could make them _wish_ that they were being reprimanded by Yami.

Seto snarled and pointed at Ishizu. "_You._ Get some bandages and healing salves for Joey when I bring him up from the dungeon." He spotted a servant trying to scuttle by unnoticed and immediately rounded on her. "YOU. Get the chef to make some soup and bring it up to my room." When she paused to sputter a timid 'yes sir' he roared, "NOW, YOU IDIOTS!"

The three immediately scurried to do as they'd been told as he turned to sweep through the castle, snarling at anyone that tried to greet him to show just how displeased he was. Even the council members that tried to stop him to speak about what had happened before he'd been forced into slavery were treated to enraged glares and wordless roars.

He rumbled quietly as he stormed down the steps into the dungeon, tail angrily slamming into each empty torch until he finally came across one that was lit. He smashed the lock on the door with his tail furiously before kicking the door open, ignoring the way the guards trailing behind him flinched at the loud clang as he stepped into the cell.

Seto felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw the blond he'd been trying to protect chained to a wall so tightly that he couldn't even sit down comfortably, leaving him hanging limply from the shackles around his wrists in exhaustion. His dirty clothes hung from his thin body and showed how grossly underweight he was. He took a step forward and flinched as he stepped in something wet and sticky, then looked down in confusion.

He felt bile rising in the back of his throat. He'd just stepped into a puddle of blood, poison, and puss, and as he retreated, he saw the blond's cracked barb still oozing a hideous goo mixed up of pink and green. He looked up at the younger boy's face, mouth already opened to apologize, but his voice died when he saw the bruises on his face and his cut lip.

"Oh, Ra, Joey…" Seto reached shaking hands out to cup the black dragon's cheeks gently, thumbs stroking over his cheekbones. He swallowed thickly as the blond's eyes drifted up to his face and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I'll fix this, Joey. I will." His heart broke a little as the eyes immediately turned away from him. "Joey…" He stroked the blond's hair out of his eyes and kissed him softly before he turned and glared at one of the guards. "Unchain him. _Now._"

Two of the guards rushed forward and began unlocking the shackles quickly. Seto bristled as one of them reached out to grab the blond's waist as he began to fall and immediately shoved him aside to scoop the younger boy into his arms, stomping back up to his room as he pulled the black dragon up against his chest. He couldn't believe how everything had gone so wrong when he'd only intended on bringing the blond somewhere safe.

He stomped into his room and rumbled in annoyance as he carefully placed the blond on his bed—but he was really only annoyed with himself. If he hadn't been so impulsive and just taken Joey away from his home, he wouldn't have had to see him looking broken beyond repair. He could have convinced Joey to come with him if he'd just talked to him. He'd been told that when it came to persuasion, he was second to none, and Joey was reaching the point where he wouldn't be that hard to convince.

Seto cupped the blond's cheek again, frowning, then sighed quietly. "I'm sorry, Joey…" He forced down the guilt he was feeling and stood up straight, turning as the door opened and Ishizu made her way in, Mokuba trailing behind her quickly with armfuls of bandages. He growled quietly. "Did it ever even occur to you that he'd give you his poison if you asked for it?"

Ishizu shot him an unimpressed look. "I was under the impression that he was violent and wouldn't cooperate."

The brunet snorted in disgust at her cool manner and rolled his eyes as he sat on the bed beside the prone black dragon. "Of course you were." He watched her bring a bowl of hot water over to the bed and sighed as she set it on the wooden chest at the end before she reached for the damaged barb.

Joey saw her hands approach his already wounded tail and screeched, arching up wildly as he swung his tail away. "_No! NO! Don't touch me please don't I don't have any more please leave me alone __**PLEASE!**_"

Startled, Seto grabbed the blond's shoulders to force him down, turning to roar at the woman to get the hell out of his room before he returned his attention back to his squirming lover. "Joey, please, you're okay now. I'll protect you. Please calm down." He felt the blond's claws scrabbling wildly at his back and gritted his teeth as the scabs over his cuts and burns were ripped open in his frantic scratching. "_JOEY._ Calm down. I'm here. You're safe."

Joey sobbed as his thrashing slowed to a stop, looking up at the brunet in confusion. Seto had kidnapped him, then ordered to have his poison forcibly milked. Now he was taking him from the dungeon he'd had the guards place him in and was telling him that he'd protect him? That didn't make any sense! Why was he letting himself be comforted by the older boy holding him? The white dragon should have been the _last_ person he felt safe with, and now he was cuddling up against his chest for safety?

His aunt and uncle had ruined him, he decided. They'd twisted him into a docile little pawn that cowered from everything and soaked up any affection tossed its way.

He trembled as the brunet kissed him, eyes growing damp in defeat as he resigned himself to being the white dragon's slave. "Set—Seto, I—'m sorry I—Mmn—" He whimpered as the older boy pulled away. "…'m sorry I poisoned you," he whispered, turning his head away. "I was gonna heal ya, I swear, but then your guards, they just—they just beat me up and wouldn't let me explain-!"

Seto frowned and cupped his cheek again. "Do you remember what they looked like?"

Joey hiccupped quietly. "No. After they locked me in that little room and chained me up, they took turns smackin' me around." His breath hitched. "They—they kept hittin' my tail so I couldn't move it and then they'd start hittin' me and I—" He gasped as the brunet pulled him up against his chest and hid his face by leaning it against his neck, ashamed of all of the tears he was shedding. "…My stomach hurt too much from bein' hit all the time t' eat what they'd bring me, so they started forcin' the food down my throat. I thought I'd die sometimes 'cause I couldn't breathe. And ya had 'em _break my barb!_" he wailed, trembling.

The brunet immediately grabbed his chin and forced him to sit back, staring into the red, heated eyes as he frowned. "Joey, I didn't have them break your barb. I wasn't even conscious. Your poison affected me quickly and I was out for the better part of a week. My uncle is dead and my cousin unable to run the kingdom, so my little brother has been doing his best. He was told that it was necessary to take your poison." When the younger boy squeaked in confusion, the brunet whispered, "He's twelve, Joey. He had no idea what that would mean."

Blinking up at him slowly, Joey frowned. "You… you're not the one that gave the order?" He felt part of his broken heart begin to mend. Seto hadn't been the one to order him so badly hurt. "I thought… I thought you'd…" He sobbed and hid his face in the brunet's neck again. "Seto-!"

Seto hugged him tightly and pulled him into a soft kiss, running a hand through his hair as the smaller body trembled against his. He continued to kiss him gently, feeling guilty for every tear the blond had shed. He hadn't deserved any of this. Breaking the kiss, he brushed his lips over the blond's forehead. "We need to get your barb cleaned so it can heal, Joey. If not Ishizu, then one of the other healers. Please."

The black dragon shuddered and cuddled closer to him. "But I… hnn…" He bit his bottom lip and looked down his tail, flinching when he saw the gooey mess oozing out of his cracked barb. "…Okay," he whispered, defeated.

Kissing him again, the brunet cooed and nuzzled his neck. "It's okay. We'll get you healed."

Joey sniffled and wiped his eyes, then looked up at him in confusion. "Wait… There was a little boy in here with us, too. Where'd he go-?"

"He probably made himself scarce as quickly as possible. I've been told that when I'm angry, I'm very hard to be around, even for my little brother." Seto nipped the blond's earlobe gently before he ran his hand down his arm. "I'll be right back. I'll find one of the other healers. And once you're settled in and my cousin is feeling better, we'll see about bringing your sister and mother here, okay?"

"Okay…" The blond blinked for a few moments, then looked up at him sharply. "Wait, what-?"

"You want them to be safe, don't you? That's one of the reasons you put up with your aunts and uncle," the older boy replied, walking toward the door. "I brought you here with the intention of being my lover, not my slave. It's my duty as your lover to keep you happy, and if having your mother and sister here will make you happy, I'll have a messenger inform them of where you are and that they are invited to stay here with you. –Why are you crying?" Seto whined when he saw the blond crying again and rushed back to him. "Joey, I thought you'd be happy. That's why I did this—please stop crying—"

Joey closed his eyes and leaned his head against the brunet's chest, breath hitching a little as he hugged him tightly. He figured Seto didn't know the difference between tears of happiness and sadness. Unfortunately, he wasn't in any condition to tell him right now. He'd tell him later, after he'd calmed down and had had his tail seen to.

Reaching up, he stroked the brunet's cheek and leaned up to brush his lips over his chin. "Thank you, Seto."

"Yes, you're welcome, just… just stop crying!"

Joey chuckled weakly. "I'll try. I'm sorry I thought you'd… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm sorry that you were so mistreated." Seto scowled. "I'll have the guards dealt with. –And don't tell me not to, because they were just doing their jobs. They were _not_ doing their jobs. We don't have our prisoners beaten daily. They were taking advantage of my brother's naivety and if I hadn't returned they probably would have continued. –I'll have Ishizu dealt with, also. She should have known better." He frowned and cupped the blond's chin so he could meet his eyes. "This isn't how I wanted you to see my home. It's usually a very nice place, and I'm sorry."

The blond shrugged a little. "It was kind of nice not bein' told what a horrible heir I am. I hafta admit that I kinda prefer the beatin's t' that." He gasped as the brunet pulled him into another hug and wheezed helplessly. "Seto you're hurtin' me…!"

Seto relaxed his grip a bit—but only a bit. "I'm still so sorry, Joey. I'll make this up to you, I swear."

Joey groaned. "Seto I still can't breathe uuuuugh!" He grunted as the brunet nuzzled his throat roughly. "Seto _seriously_ lemme go!"


	51. Intergalactic

Updated (07-30-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Intergalactic

"Excuse me. I'm here to pick up cargo for Yugi Moto. He gave me a signed letter and the invoices for it."

Seto looked up from his clipboard in surprise, then frowned at the boy standing before him, reaching up to tuck his hair out of his eyes. "…And just what are you?"

The blond blinked up at him in surprise. "Me? I… I'm a human," he answered awkwardly. "My name is Joey Wheeler…" he added, holding out the letter and invoices he had. "Here…"

The Draconian stared at him a little longer before ripping open the letter and skimming it quickly. He compared the signature on the letter to the signature on the invoices, then nodded. "Everything seems to be in order. Just bring your cart around and I'll have someone load the cargo on."

"'kay," Joey answered, reaching for the papers. He blinked when the brunet merely glared at him. "…What?"

"I need these to figure out which crates are yours," Seto stated crisply, scowling. "And I'd like the letter as evidence in case something goes awry. And I'll take copies of these invoices."

"…Oh." The blond seemed to shrink under his stare. "…I'll go get the wagon," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and slinking back down the gangplank.

The Draconian let his eyes drift downward, watching the tight denim cup the blond's butt attractively with each step. His eyes were then drawn to the casual sway of his thin hips, and the brunet hissed quietly as he imagined his hands clamping down on those hips and forcing those firm cheeks to slap against his thighs as he shoved into—

"What are those? Invoices already? We just barely docked," Yami complained, glancing at the papers in his cousin's hands. He blinked as he smelled arousal, then turned his gaze on where the brunet was staring. "What is _that?_" he asked, raising his eyebrows, and sighed as the blond turned a corner and disappeared. From what he'd seen, that had been a very nice ass.

"That… was a human," Seto replied, turning swiftly to go find the necessary cargo to get the blond on his way. "I'm thinking that I'll just get him his cargo, find someone to guard the ship, and then go find someplace for booze and whores."

"…But humans are supposed to be ugly," the other Draconian muttered thoughtfully. He sighed. "In any case, I think I'll join you. It's been weeks since I've had a decent fuck."

"Then hurry up and help me find the crates that are his and we can go."

"Tch, the whores aren't going anywhere, Seto."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey frowned and leaned his chin on his hand, sighing quietly. "I thought Draconians were supposed to be ugly," he muttered to himself, then sighed again and shook his head, returning to kneading the dough for rolls that would be served with dinner, ignorant of the flour on his face.

He couldn't help but blush when he thought back to earlier that day, though, when he'd picked up his friend's cargo. He'd heard that the majority of the crew was Draconian, so he'd steeled himself for an uncomfortable experience where he avoided looking at any of the crew. He'd avoided looking, of course, but only because the cause of his discomfort was on the other end of the spectrum—everyone had been startlingly _attractive._

Joey's breath had hitched in surprise as the man turned, eyes widening as he saw the white scales surrounding his glowing blue eyes, the slit pupils widening in the dim light. The brunet had lifted a hand to swipe his bangs out of his face, then tucked his hair back behind his white, three-pronged horns, drawing attention to the scales on the back of his hands that went up to the middle of his forearm like some sort of gauntlets. He wasn't wearing a shirt, either, showing more scales on his shoulders and speckled down his muscular chest. The brunet had been _very_ attractive—more attractive than any of his ship mates, even.

He'd never seen a Draconian before. They usually stuck to their home planet, so when he'd heard the crew was mostly Draconian, he'd been curious but wary. Draconians liked booze and sex, and they rarely travelled anywhere that wasn't exotic or at least warm. The Rox-Pwi-Zae (or RPZ) Space Port was neither of those things and the whores were pretty vanilla. Wham, bam, thank-you-Sam-pay-me-so-I-can-leave was their modus operandi. Draconians supposedly liked really… 'out-there' sex.

The Draconian he'd spoken too hadn't been too scary. In fact, he'd been rather nice, if a little short, but he'd attributed that to cabin fever and the need to get off of the ship. He'd noticed that the man had been incredibly muscular without looking too bulky, too, which made him wonder if their muscles were made differently. It wouldn't surprise him, considering Joey had had to get Tristan to help him unload the crates that a single Draconian had carried.

Joey blushed a little as he remembered how the brunet's muscles had rippled beneath his skin. He'd had large hands and strong arms. He'd always been sort of a hand man. And the idea of those big hands grasping his hips as the Draconian dragged him onto his big—

"Joey, we have some early customers," Serenity stated, poking her head into the kitchen. "Their ship just got in and they look exhausted."

"Uuuuhhhhh… I got nothin' ready yet. The soup's still cookin' and I hafta bake the bread, sooo… Booze them up until the food's ready," Joey ordered, frowning. "On the house. Twenty minutes tops for the soup."

"Um, I already offered them free beer, but the captain's asking for some faunderberry wine." She bit her bottom lip as she watched her brother's shoulders stiffen. "When I tried to tell them that we didn't have any, he said that any semi-decent tavern and inn would have faunderberry wine and if we don't have any we must not even be _that_ decent and they'd leave."

Faunderberry wine was one of the highest-end wines in the galaxy, and while they had some, they refused to sell it to people, mostly because they would never be able to gain back the money that the owner of the inn had shelled out for it. Unlike other wines that could be resealed after pouring a glass or two, faunderberry wine went bad immediately after the cork was put back; faunderberries were fickle and the unsterilized air that was sealed in with them would rot the liquid into something more like glue than wine.

Joey turned to face her slowly. "Did you tell him that he'd have to buy the whole bottle and it would be five thousand engues?"

She nodded nervously. "He said he wouldn't pay more than three."

"Thousand?"

"…Hundred. But Joey, he looked serious when he said they'd leave and he looks just mean enough to spread the word that we're not a decent inn and we didn't exactly _buy_ it and—" Serenity began frantically, knowing that if people stopped coming to the inn, the owner would fire them and terrified that the meager amount of money they'd managed to scrimp together to buy their own apartment would instead be used to get them by until they could both find new jobs.

"I'll meet ya out there and you can introduce me t' the captain," Joey replied soothingly, offering her a calm smile. He was pleased to see her relax a little. "I still have that bottle that Yug' gave me as a birthday present a few years ago. Lemme just grab it." He watched her leave, then scowled and hissed angrily. "Whatever bastard you are, I hope ya die," he muttered, before descending to the wine cellar.

Retrieving the bottle of wine that would either make or break the inn for the moment, he took a breath to calm himself down before he walked into the dining room. He was surprised to find the Draconian crew he'd seen earlier, but when he saw his sister stressing out and the brunet he'd found attractive looking a little more than irate, he felt nothing but the desire to protect his sister.

Once he approached them, he shoved his sister behind him protectively and smiled what he hoped was a pleasant smile at the Draconian. "My sister said that you'd like some faunderberry wine, sir?"

"Tch, about time. –But let me guess, you're only going to let me have it as long as I pay some exorbitant fee."

The blond's eyes narrowed dangerously when he heard the contempt in his voice. Perhaps it hadn't just been cabin fever. Maybe the guy was actually just a dick. "Oh, I'm gonna let ya have it, sir," he stated pleasantly, flipping the bottle in his hand so that it was upside down.

Serenity realized what he was about to do and gasped. "Joey, don't—"

But she was too late.

Joey brought the bottle down on the brunet's head with every intent of knocking him out and throwing him outside, but he had seriously misjudged how hard the dragon-man's skull was. He watched the blue liquid drip down the brunet's head in amusement, however, as the Draconian and the rest of his crew gaped at him, jaws dropped and eyes wide. He'd just broken a _very_ expensive bottle over a paying customer's head. What was wrong with him?

Grabbing the brunet's horn, he gave it a shake and growled, "Ya ever make my sister feel awkward like that again and I will take this broken bottle, slice ya open, and rip out yer guts t' strangle ya with 'em. Ya pickin' up what I'm puttin' down, Captain?" When the Draconian nodded, he growled again. "Good. Now _get the fuck outta my dining room, asshole._"

Without pausing to hear a reply, he stood up straight and immediately turned, sweeping out of the room with a quiet hum. "Serenity, remind me that I need t' get that money from Yug'. Rent's due this week."

Serenity gaped after him as well, then looked at the wine-stained captain, then back at her brother. Her mouth moved wildly, as if trying to speak, before she squeaked and looked back at the table of Draconians. "I'm so sorry! If I'd known he'd react like that—"

The brunet stood slowly, lifting a hand to wipe some of the blue liquid from his face, then slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills. "Let's go," he ordered quietly, and the rest of the crew silently followed him.

She watched the door shut behind them and flinched as the door and windows rattled because of the Draconian captain's infuriated roar. The roar lasted almost thirty seconds, and she wondered just how much air a Draconian's lungs could hold when the roar was abruptly cut off and she heard the rest of the crew's rumbling voices as the group left to find a different inn. She swallowed nervously and reached out to timidly grab the roll of bills, eyes widening as she counted the red papers.

It was five thousand engues.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sat up and sighed, ignoring the way the woman pressed against him cooed invitingly for another round. _'Going for food before sating my desire was probably a bad idea anyway.'_ He reached up to rub the spot where the blond had broken the bottle on his head, frowning, then sighed and made a shooing motion with his hand. "I'm finished. How much did you say that was?"

The prostitute was obviously disappointed (who wouldn't be? Draconians were _excellent_ lovers), but he no longer found her pout attractive now that he'd sated himself. "Fifty engues."

Seto stood and slipped his pants on, then pulled out a single green coin and flipped it to her, marveling at how cheap the whores were at this port. Walking toward the door, he paused as he opened it and looked back at her. "Do you know a place I could stay for the night?"

"Dog Star is the best inn on this port," she sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. She was a whore, not a tour guide. "Any other inns or boarding houses aren't as clean and the food is terrible." She batted her eyelashes seductively. "Of course, you _could_ always stay the night with _me…_"

"No," the brunet cut in swiftly. "No, I couldn't. I've got to see to it that my crew is safe and while I'm certain they would all love to stay in your room, I don't think you could handle it." He paused thoughtfully. "You should up your price. I would have paid you a hundred engues for that."

He closed the door behind himself as she sputtered and raged at the potential profit she could have gotten and made his way downstairs, reaching back to run his fingers over the ridge of small spikes down his spine. He'd forgotten to warn her about them. Luckily, she'd taken it in stride and hadn't even complained about it when he'd licked her fingers clean of blood. The whores in this port were easy and cheap.

He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, though.

Seto licked his lips as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Yami looked up from the book he'd been reading and raised an eyebrow. "Why is it that the rest of the crew is never as quick or efficient at sating themselves?"

"Because they don't have the same amount of control we do." The brunet frowned and reached up to touch his sticky hair. He'd managed to rinse his face and arms by splashing them with water from a water barrel, but he was still a little sticky and he hadn't been able to get it out of his hair before the owner of said water barrel began snarling at him. "…That inn that we were at? Apparently, it's the best inn there is in this port."

"So we're supposed to go back and sleep in our ship again." It was more of a statement than a question. He understood what it meant. He just wasn't sure the rest of his cousin's crew would.

Seto sighed. "I'm going to go back and apologize. Hopefully, he'll let the rest of the crew stay there, even if he won't let me."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "So you'll stay at a low-rated inn instead?"

"Don't be stupid. I'd rather sleep in a hammock."

"…You hate hammocks."

"Exactly."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey scowled as he heard a quiet knock on the kitchen door that led to the alley behind the inn but didn't turn away from the bowls he was pouring soup into. "What? If it's a delivery just put it inside the door and I'll pay ya in a minute." He set the bowls on a tray and moved to place it on the window. "Serenity! Soup's up!"

Turning as he wiped some sweat from his brow, he wiped his floury hands on the towel hanging from his waist. "How much do I owe—_You._" He immediately narrowed his eyes and reached for a frying pan. "What do _you_ want?" he hissed, glaring at the Draconian that was standing just inside the door.

The brunet lifted his hands in a placatory manner. "I just wanted to apologize for earlier."

"Uh huh." Joey scowled and held the frying pan up threateningly. "That's all, _right?_"

"Well, I also wanted to ask if you'd allow my crew to stay here tonight. You don't have to allow _me _to stay here, of course," he added hastily when the blond lifted the pan threateningly. "My crew didn't have anything to do with how we stressed out your sister. I was out of line and I should have gone and sated myself before I even tried to eat, and I apologize, because I know that I'm an ass even at the best of times."

"You're damn right," the blond snapped, but he relaxed a little. "…Ya really want your crew to stay here, even if you can't?"

The Draconian frowned. "We have been away from port for three months. I want them to have hot baths and sleep in actual beds. We'll be leaving port again in a week or two and I'd rather they have some simple pleasures so that the morale isn't completely low when we depart."

"You were a total dick t' me and my sister even though she was nice enough to let your entire crew in here." Joey scowled. "And you're tellin' me it's just 'cause ya were horny?"

The brunet sighed. "I'm Draconian. Draconian libidos are three times higher than humans' libidos and we're much more aggressive if we're—"

"Horny?" Joey spat, glaring at him.

"…I was going to say 'unsated,' but I suppose 'horny' works," the Draconian mumbled. He sighed again and shook his head. "In any case, I'd really appreciate it if—Guh!" He lurched backward when the blond suddenly advanced on him and reached back to grab the door's handle in case he needed to make a quick escape. "What the hell-!"

"You'll _only_ be here for two weeks at the most?" Joey asked skeptically, but relaxed his grip on the frying pan. "_Just_ two?"

The older boy shifted awkwardly. "I don't intend on taking any longer to receive more orders for our ship to deliver, no."

"…You guys can stay," Joey muttered, taking a step back. "But _only_ if ya don't hit on my sister and _only_ if ya promise not t' bring prostitutes in here and you'll be sharin' rooms!"

"Alright." The Draconian looked surprised about how agreeable he was being. "There's an odd number, though, so perhaps we could just move another bed into one of the rooms for a threesome…?" He raised an eyebrow as the blond's cheeks flushed, wondering what had gotten into him, until he realized that he smelled pheromones. Smirking, he asked, "What, does the word 'threesome' make you feel awkward, _sir?_"

"Shut up it's just been a while for me okay it's gonna be three hundred engues for each of ya!" the human exclaimed, taking a step back and spinning back toward the oven to check if the bread was ready—not to hide his blushing cheeks, he told himself awkwardly.

"Two hundred fifty? Is _everything_ in this port cheap?"

Joey turned back to him sharply, scowling. "It's not _cheap._ It's just that ya pay for your food separately, and that's fifty _more_ engues, and—"

"I'd pay you at _least_ five hundred engues," the Draconian stated, scowling. "There are fifteen of us. We'll be taking up seven of your rooms. We'll be staying for _at least_ a week. How do you profit when you only charge two hundred and fifty engues for all of us when—" He paused. "…How did you even _afford_ faunderberry wine?"

The blond blushed awkwardly. "…It was a birthday present. My friend gave it to me. It wasn't one of the inn's bottles."

"You smashed a five-thousand-engue birthday present on my head?" the brunet asked, astounded and appalled. "Why would someone waste something so precious on someone who doesn't appreciate it?"

"I appreciate it! I let him stay here for free when he needs to and run errands for him sometimes!" the human defended, blushing even more even as he glared at the taller male. "A-and besides, it's none of your business what I do with my gifts, so—"

The Draconian snorted sarcastically. "Yes, you're quite a threatening picture in your pink apron and wielding a frying pan."

Joey frowned and turned back to the oven, placing the frying pan on the stove slowly. "…It was my mom's apron. I don't see a point in buying a new one just because I don't like the color of the one I already have. And this is an argule-steel frying pan, so it's really hard, and—"

"EEEEEK!"

Joey turned sharply as he heard his little sister's startled yelp and grabbed the frying pan again, storming through the swinging door. Once he'd targeted the man pawing his darling sibling, he threw the frying pan with surprising accuracy. As the shining silver pan met hard rock with a dull 'thock' and bounced off ineffectively, he swallowed when he realized he'd just smacked a Nguyaien Stharprot with a frying pan and had just involved himself in a duel that he immediately knew he wouldn't win.

'_Oh shit. Oh __**shit.**__'_ He swallowed thickly as the large, piggish-looking alien stood up, its body made out of hard stone. He nearly choked when he saw the small divot in the otherwise smooth rock-flesh; breaking the flesh was considered an insult to the Stharprot people. _'He is going to beat the shit out of me,'_ he realized when the Stharprot came to tower over him, its impressive eight-foot height making him feel _incredibly_ small. _'Oh shit!'_

The Stharprot snarled and raised its fist, clenching its three fingers together and making it look like a giant boulder. He flinched as it began falling toward him and covered his head, but then he felt himself being tugged up against a hard, warm body and he heard a soft smack of rock against firm flesh. Peeking upward, he saw that the Draconian he'd been speaking with was holding him protectively even as he glared up at his attacker, arm trembling with exertion from stopping the heavy limb with just one hand but still holding strongly against it.

The Draconian hissed quietly, eyes beginning to glow. "I've just sated myself, _'Prot_," he hissed, putting emphasis on the derogatory term and forcing himself not to smirk when the Stharprot snarled in fury. "You are no match for me, 'Prot. If you want a fuck, go find a whore; they're incredibly cheap here and I would prefer that the inn that _my crew and I_ are staying at not be broken to bits."

Joey's breath hitched as he felt the already silent room seem to buzz with hushed anxiety. Draconians were dangerous alone, but in a group, they could be destructive. Hell, this single Draconian was holding up a Stharprot's heavy limb with just one arm. If it was true that an entire group of Draconians were staying at the inn, no one else would want to come and stay there while they occupied it.

He flinched as he heard chairs scraping across the floor and money being dropped on the tables before everyone in the dining room fled, and he felt the brunet's body relax as the Stharprot escaped as well. He took a step back and sighed quietly, then turned to look at the door, grimacing at the impact all of the empty tables had on his mental wallet. "Gods, we're gonna be lucky we don't get fired," he muttered, making his way over to his sister and helping her to stand as she blinked around the room in a startled daze. "You okay, Serenity?"

"Yes. –That hurt," she muttered, frowning, and rubbed her arm.

The Draconian approached them immediately, scowling. "Would you like me to go break off his hand?"

Serenity stared at him in surprise, then giggled and blushed, glancing away quickly. "No, that's okay, really."

Joey frowned. "Wha—You don't actually think this guy's attractive, do ya, Ren?"

She giggled again as the brunet grunted in offense and hid her face in her brother's chest. "No, I was just imagining him walking around the port carrying a Stharprot's hand."

The blond raised an eyebrow, then chuckled a little himself and shook his head. "Yeah, that would be kinda funny, I guess." He glanced around at the empty tables and sighed. "Well, let's get this cleaned up. I guess your crew can have single rooms, now," he added back to the brunet. "Who should I put the bill under?"

The Draconian frowned, looking around at all of the empty seats, then sighed. "Put it under Seto Kaiba."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Ms. Wheeler, put the charges for our stay on my tab, and tell your brother that I'll pay it off at the end of the week," Seto ordered, leaning over the bar as she carefully checked out another patron. He frowned thoughtfully as he watched an unfamiliar blonde woman with feathers in her hair and large, brown-gold wings sweep out of the kitchen door and into the dining room with a tray of food. "Doesn't your brother usually do that?"

"Oh, someone spiked my brother's drink with Queenlace," Serenity sighed, frowning. "Luckily, Tristan was here and threw the person out of the inn, but by then Joey had drunk the entire glass. The doctor said he shouldn't work for at least another few days unless he wanted to end up sexually assaulting one of the customers."

Seto huffed. "I keep telling him that you should get some sort of bouncer, but does he listen to me?"

"No," she replied, smiling a bit. "But you know that's the inn owner's choice and not ours; we'd love to have a bouncer. So your crew is sating itself before it comes in? How did you get finished so quickly?"

"I haven't sated myself yet. I just thought I'd check us in first, since I figured you knew how to handle my temper already. …And your brother thinks it's cute when my tail twitches." He frowned in concern. "Is your brother really okay? How big was the dose?"

Serenity glanced away awkwardly. "Er, it was double the amount for a human should be. He's been up in his room for a week and a half already, but the owner wants him to come out and actually earn his keep regardless of how he's feeling, so Joey's been really stressed out on top of everything. …I had to lock him up there and have Tristan deliver his food so he wouldn't maul any of us or the customers…"

"I almost want to go up and check on him, but if he's that far-gone, perhaps it's better to go sate myself first." Seto scowled. He'd been looking forward to bantering with the blond. The human was incredibly attractive when he was giggling and he had to admit that it was fun to play their twisted game of tag when Joey was trying to touch his tail and he was desperately trying to keep his hands away.

"Well, the doctor said that if he had a partner to help him work off the drug, that would help him get better a bit sooner," she began thoughtfully, then blushed when she realized that she was suggesting one of their best customers go up and have sex with her brother. "Er, that is, I was just—Why don't you go and sate yourself, Seto."

Seto stared at her for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and tilted his head skeptically. "Would your brother even _want_ to have sex with me? I know the prostitutes will, because I'm paying them, but for the most part, humans don't really like even looking at me."

"Well where the hell are we supposed to look when muscular young men come by?" Serenity exclaimed, scowling.

Seto blinked at her, stunned. He'd never heard her cuss before. He watched her eyes widen and her cheeks burn bright red before she sank beneath the bar. He leaned over it and raised both his brows inquisitively. "What are you doing?"

"Just go away!" she exclaimed, covering her face and leaning her head against the hard wood.

"…Humans are weird. What room is your brother in?"

"The last one on the left now go away!"

Seto chuckled but leaned back. "We'll need an extra room. My brother came with us this trip because he doesn't understand why I keep mapping my voyages to include this port."

"Why _do _you keep coming to this port if you don't need to?" Serenity asked, standing up straight, even though her cheeks were still dusted pink.

"The fabulous food, the comfy beds, and the humans that run the inn," he replied swiftly, making her cheeks flush again.

Walking down the hall, he hummed to himself quietly. He'd only had a ready answer because he'd already been asked that question and had had to think long and hard about his answer. He'd admit that the food was excellent as far as eating out went, and the beds were more comfortable than hammocks, and spending time talking to Serenity about the port and everything on it was interesting. But he'd discovered the real reason he kept coming back was because of her spunky brother, who was crass and feisty and didn't care who he pissed off.

Seto licked his lips as he smelled arousal and sexual frustration. Perhaps he should have gone to sate himself before he came to tease his favorite human. …But Serenity had said the drug could be worked off faster with help, and he had to admit that he'd thought the blond was attractive ever since he'd seen him the first time (dampened by having a bottle of expensive wine broken over his head, but interest had been rekindled after the Stharprot incident).

Oh, what the hell.

Seeing a chair hooked under the knob of the door at the end, he carefully set it aside and knocked before he opened the door, deciding not to wait for an answer. He froze in the doorway as his nose was immediately assaulted with the stronger scents of desperation and dissatisfaction along with the heady smell of release.

Joey was lying in the middle of his bed in a sweaty mess, chest heaving as his hips shook with need. He reached down to paw between his legs and whimpered, covering his face with his other hand in embarrassment when he realized that someone was watching him and it wasn't Tristan or his sister. "Go away-!"

Seto's eyes darted from the flushed cheeks to the hand between his legs to the discarded sex toy covered in vanilla-scented lube, his breath already coming shorter as he continued to inhale all of the scents hanging about the room. He swallowed thickly, then stepped further into the room and shut the door loudly behind himself.

Joey struggled into a sitting position, trying to get ready to protect himself, but when he saw the Draconian watching him, his blush darkened just a bit. "Seto-! W-what are ya doin' in here? I—Serenity must've told ya—"

"She did." Seto licked his lips and began to purr as his eyes darted to the dildo again before flicking back up to the blond's face. "She also mentioned that if someone helped you, you'd be back to normal sooner. And I was very upset that you weren't in the kitchen to tease me about my tail."

The human tilted his head. "Really? I thought ya hated that, and…"

"How far are you willing to go with me?" the brunet cut in, prowling toward him. "I know the prostitutes are willing to do more than just sex if you pay them more, but I don't want to push you into anything. If you tell me to stop, I'll stop."

Joey gulped and looked the Draconian up and down, then shivered when he remembered his first impression of the older boy. And now his imagination was becoming real and the brunet wanted to have sex with him and—

_Yessss._

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto kissed him a few moments longer, then purred as he broke the kiss to instead lick and kiss the wound he'd made. "Did that feel good, Joey?"

"Yeah… God, yes…" He turned his head to catch the brunet's lips again and squeaked when he felt how wet his lips were. He leaned back quickly and blushed as he saw that the Draconian's lips were smeared with red liquid. "Uh-?"

"…I got a little too excited," the brunet admitted, glancing away in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to bite you so hard."

"…Huh." Joey tilted his head, then snorted. "I didn't even notice. 'nd I'm currently too tired t' care. I need a nap. I've been masturbatin' for hours and what we just did took up all the energy I had left. Guh." He paused, then glanced up at the brunet and purred, "But that felt so good, I'm almost ready for another round."

Seto made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a desperate squeak. Normally, he'd be ashamed or embarrassed for making that noise, but when the blond cooed and arched against him, he made the noise again. "You're a damn tease, Joey Wheeler," he spat, laying his head on the human's unwounded shoulder. "You're getting me hard again just in time for you to go to sleep."

"Power nap. Twenty minutes. Then I'm gonna ride the fuck out of ya, 'kay?" the younger boy explained cheerfully.

The brunet squeaked again even as he glared at him. "_Tease._"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Serenity smiled as she placed a mug of steaming hot sugar-brandy in front of her brother and a large glass of sewart-flower wine in front of the brunet. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Joey. I was really scared for you!"

"Sorry about that. I really shoulda known better," the blond laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I knew the guy was shifty. I shouldn't have accepted that drink. I was just so tired…"

Seto snorted and took a sip of his amber liquid. "The owner should hire more help then. Or hire a bouncer. Or both. You know what, if he can't hire both, he should at least hire a bouncer."

Joey rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah. Because Queenlace was gonna kill me. Tristan was there; I was fine."

"He's not always going to _be_ there," the brunet began, scowling, before his expression faded into confusion. "You two keep saying Queenlace, but I've never heard of it. What is it? How does it affect you?"

The two siblings glanced at each other before Joey looked away, snickering. Serenity merely smiled. "Well, you probably know it better as blofuega root."

Seto nodded a little in comprehension. "I see." The drug wasn't described as 'making a person's blood boil with need' for nothing. He paused, then looked up from his drink, baffled. "Why do you call it Queenlace then?"

The two humans didn't even pause as they both swiftly replied, "Because the queen is a whore." They looked at each other, then dissolved into hysterical laughter.

Seto blinked. "…What."

"The queen on their home planet," Mai explained, rolling her eyes as she set down a steak in front of each of them. "Their planet is one of the few ruled by matriarchs rather than patriarchs. While previous queens usually only took on one or maybe two consorts, the recent queens have been more… Let's just call it 'sexually free' and leave it at that."

The Draconian stared at her for a few moments before tilting his head, baffled. "What planet are these two from then? I'd always assumed Earth."

"These two are actually from a planet called Zurthu," the harpy replied, shrugging. "Apparently, humans had made a home on that planet as well. Besides, Earth isn't really inhabitable for humans unless you're into being burned. Their sun-star has expanded and warmed up Earth to be a balmy one hundred and fifty-two degrees."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Balmy indeed. When did that happen?"

"Well, that was the heat when humans fled that planet two-thousand years ago. Who knows how hot it is now. Oh, come on, you two. That joke is old and it's not even that funny to begin with," Mai griped, scowling at them. "I don't know why you always laugh so hard."

'_Two thousand years ago?'_ The Draconian was floored. _'Perhaps I should keep up on news outside of The Drake Gazette from home.'_

Of course, he'd never really cared to know about humans because they were supposed to be ugly and bad in bed, so he'd never really cared about their history, either. Perhaps he should learn more about their history. After all, Joey and Serenity were certainly interesting, so their home planet must have been interesting, too.

"Hey, hey, Seto."

Seto jerked and turned toward the blond quickly. "Hmm?"

Joey frowned. "Your steak's gettin' cold. Eat it before it tastes bad."

"Okay. You know Draconians like cold meat just as much as hot meat, right?"

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure. Whatever." He took a minute to cut his steak before looking back up at him and smirking. "I start workin' again in twenty minutes, but I go on break in a few hours. My break's long enough for a quickie and I'm still kinda horny."

Seto couldn't help it; he began to purr, even as he leaned toward the human and hissed, "If you eat quickly enough, we could have a quickie before you even start."

The blond squealed in delight and lunged at him, tackling him out of his chair as he latched onto the older boy's throat. Seto couldn't help a startled roar as his chair shifted backward and flailed a little, kicking the table over as they fell backward. He was about to snarl in annoyance, but then the human's mouth was on his, and he couldn't bring himself to care, especially when the blond was writhing in a manner that clearly conveyed 'I want cock and I want it now.'

He ignored the cat-calling and jeers from the rest of his crew as he began to paw the human's smaller body.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You really shouldn't have expected anything different. You made one of the guests break a chair and a table just because he said he'd have sex with you before work," Mai scolded, but ran her fingers through the humans' hair nonetheless, her clawed fingers somehow comforting on their scalps even when they both felt like crap.

Joey grunted in annoyance. "He _would_ choose today to come in and check on things. I'm sorry, Serenity."

"I didn't like working there anyway," she assured, smiling at him.

"…You could always come work for me," Seto began thoughtfully. When the two humans gave him a glare, thinking the offer was charity, he huffed. "Not forever, you dolts. You clearly don't have good opportunities for jobs on this port. Work for me until we get to another port, and then find work there."

"Yes," Yami agreed, coming to stand next to them. "Work for someone that isn't such a stingy bastard. –We've all decided that we do not want to stay at this inn," he explained at the brunet's inquisitive expression. "The crew agrees that the owner of this inn is a complete asshole and want nothing to do with a man that would fire the people that had been running his business for him while he was off… doing things."

"…Come work on our planet!" Mokuba suggested, smiling. "Everyone will want to come see you! We were always told that humans were ugly, and having two such pretty humans working on our planet—everyone will want to come see you, and when they see how polite and how hard-working you are—"

"Draconians _do_ appreciate hard workers," Yami added.

Seto tilted his head, frowning thoughtfully, then scowled. When other Draconians saw just how good-looking humans could be, they'd start thinking about what it would be like to have sex with them. Joey was fantastic in bed, and he could only assume that Serenity was the same, but the thought of Joey having sex with anyone but him (or the idea of innocent, sweet Serenity having sex at all) really made his blood boil, and not in the normal way that he liked.

He'd speak with them privately once they were underway again. Until then, he'd have to find sleeping quarters for Serenity that Joey would approve of. He supposed he could give up the bed in his stateroom on the ship, but hammocks gave him backaches and—

"—Seto? …Seto?" Joey raised an eyebrow when he saw the glazed-over expression on the brunet's face. After a moment, he leaned over a little to gently trace the tip of his finger over the Draconian's sensitive tail, knowing how sensitive it was and, while not wanting to hurt him, he knew it would get the older boy's attention.

Seto squawked and jerked away, startled, then let out an offended roar as the blond took off running and immediately began chase. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!"

Serenity watched her brother shriek as the brunet grabbed for him and dodge away, then turned to look at the Captain's brother. "…So if we're working on your brother's ship, where am I staying?"

Mokuba blinked. "Why wouldn't you stay in the cabin with the rest of the crew?"

Mai and Serenity immediately gave him a glare that could have shaved the skin right off of him.

Yami laughed nervously. "Obviously it would be unacceptable to make a young human girl sleep in the same place with grown Draconian men. We'll work something out." When the younger boy opened his mouth (probably to say something insensitive because he didn't understand why a healthy girl that had reached sexual maturity wouldn't want to be around men), he grabbed him in a somewhat playful headlock and hissed, "Shut up if you want to live. Seto would kill me if I let you die just because you insulted a girl. She is _not_ Draconian. Remember that."

The way the raven-haired boy paled and nodded, he knew that Mokuba had finally realized just how close he was to being murdered by a human and a harpy that he hadn't even meant to insult.

The voyage to the next port was bound to be at least a little tense and awkward.


	52. Weeded III

Author's Note: COMPLETELY. PLATONIC. RELATIONSHIP. Because I like having a simply fluffy story.

That is all. **:|**

* * *

Weeded III

"Yugi!" Joey hissed nervously. "Yugi, the gardeners put something on my bush! Help! Help me! Help!" When he got no reply immediately, he roared, "YUGI, HELP ME THIS INSTANT!"

The iris fairy appeared a few moments later, frowning in concern. "What is it, Joey?"

"They put _things_ on me!" the blond exclaimed frantically, pointing to the yellow and white things that almost looked like a type of flower he'd seen before except that they were hot and they blinked like fireflies. "Help! What do I do? Why would they do this t' me? How 'm I s'posed t'—STOP LAUGHING!" he snapped, blushing a little as the smaller fairy literally fluttered until he fell to the ground from laughing so hard. "This is serious!"

"Joey, they're just blinkies to make us pretty for when the Kaibas have their big party," Yugi assured, smiling. "Don't worry."

"Oh. …Party?" Joey frowned thoughtfully. "I didn't know they had parties. Are we invited?"

"I think that it's humans only."

"Oh." The blond tugged thoughtfully at the thick sweater the Kaiba brothers had gotten him to protect him from the cooler weather, since his other clothes had been… compromised by the weed fairies before he'd been rescued. "…It's the season where humans give each other things to show how much they care about each other, right?"

Yugi shrugged. "I guess so."

"…Seto and Mokuba have done a lot for me… I wanna do somethin' for them, too…" Joey sighed. "What could I do, though? All I can do is make clothes out of leaves, and I don't think they'd really appreciate that."

The smaller fairy tilted his head. "Don't you weave spider silk too, though? I saw that really beautiful scarf you were wearing the other day and it looked really good on you. You made that, right?"

The blond brightened up at the thought. "Yeah, I can! I'll make a scarf for them!" He rushed toward his bush to snatch his scarf from the twig he'd been hanging it on and fluttered back out to smile at his smaller friend. "I'll just go measure his neck t' see how long I hafta make it!"

"I'll come with you. They said to come up any time we like," Yugi decided, flying up beside him as the rose fairy began flying toward the mansion. "Maybe we can have tea or something."

Joey glanced back at him and raised an eyebrow. "Have you figured out what tea or coffee are yet?"

The smaller fairy pursed his lips. "No, but I'm beginning to think they're yanking our wings and are really drinking muddy water."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto looked up from his laptop as he heard a soft tapping sound, then turned in his chair, unable to help a smile when he saw the blond fairy frantically banging on his window. He chuckled as he stood and walked over to open it, allowing the exuberant fairy and his friend inside. "Well, I wasn't expecting you, but you're a pleasant surprise."

"I wanna make somethin' for ya," Joey stated bluntly and without preamble.

The human paused awkwardly. "…I appreciate the sentiment, Joey, but if you'll recall the last time—"

"Okay, so the nectar-butter was a bad idea," the blond admitted, shrugging. "But I can't go wrong with this!"

Seto stared.

Yugi smiled brightly. "He just wants to weave a scarf for you, Seto. It's not as bad as you're making it out to be."

"Yeah, just like this one!" Joey held up his own scarf, then fluttered his wings so he was level with the brunet's chest. "I just wanted t' come and measure ya before I started, so I didn't make the scarf too short!"

Seto coughed quietly as he finally saw the little piece of fabric in the blond's hands. "Right. Okay then."

The rose fairy, seeing he had the go-ahead, fluttered closer and placed the scarf at the middle of his collarbone. Then, he carefully stretched the other end as far as it could go.

It only covered a tiny fraction of what would need to be done.

The blond's mouth firmed into a straight line. "I may have miscalculated how well this was gonna go."

Seto smiled awkwardly. "You don't have to make me anything, Joey. Just knowing that you actually _wanted_ to is nice. It's the sentiment that counts—"

Joey scowled at him. "NO! I WILL MAKE IT AND IT WILL BE A MASTERPIECE!"

The brunet could only stare.

Yugi looked between them for a few moments before smiling. "You could always make your scarf for him into a ring. Doesn't it look like it would fit perfectly around his finger?"

Seto yelped as the blond immediately dove for his hand, just barely catching himself from yanking away from him. "Are you _trying_ to kill yourself, Joey?"

"Shut up. I'm dainty as a cricket."

The human wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he supposed it made perfect sense to fairies.

Joey carefully measured the distance around the brunet's ring finger, then frowned; it left too much excess scarf. He tried the brunet's middle finger, then squealed in delight and zoomed upward to point directly in his face. "YES. It will be placed on your finger and it shall be GLORIOUS."

"…Right…"

"We should probably get going if we want to get enough silk for you to weave it," Yugi suggested, smiling.

Joey nodded and tucked his scarf around his neck, then waved at Seto cheerfully. "We'll be back in a few hours so you can let us back out, okay?"

"Okay. Wait, where are you going?" Seto exclaimed, half-exasperated and half-afraid that someone would see the fairies and capture them and sell them to scientists or a circus or something else equally ridiculous.

"…Gonna go find yer spiders," the blond answered, looking baffled.

Yugi cleared his throat. "We'll be sticking pretty close to the ceiling, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh. I guess that's okay then," the human muttered, and the two fairies took that as a 'yes' and flew off. Seto continued pondering for a few moments before he roared, "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MY SPIDERS AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEAR MY CEILINGS!" He paused, then roared again. "I DON'T OWN ANY SPIDERS!"

His brother's voice came from down the hall. "Seto? Are you okay?"

Seto growled to himself for a moment before slapping a hand over his face. "_Fairies._"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"How much do you think is enough?" Yugi asked, holding up the large ball of spider silk they'd rolled up (with the spiders' permissions, of course). "I've never made a scarf, so how do you know when you have enough?"

"I guess!" Joey replied cheerfully. "I always get more than I need and the extra stuff I hang up on my bush so that the dew catches on it and makes it look pretty! …Much prettier than those blinkies."

"Oh." The smaller fairy looked at the silk for a few moments, then blushed lightly. "Do you think you could show _me_ how to weave spider silk?"

The blond looked down at him in confusion. "Why would ya wanna know? Ya already have your pretty leaves that ya can weave together…"

Yugi's blush darkened. "Well, I know I can, and sometimes Seto and Mokuba will give me some clothes, too, but I don't want to weave something for me. I… I want to make it for a friend of mine. –Not you, a girl."

Joey stared at him for a minute or two before shrugging. "We're gonna need a lot more silk, then. A _lot_ more. …You're gonna screw up the first five or six times…" When the younger boy looked offended, he sighed. "It's not that I don't have faith in ya, Yug'. You're gonna ruin the first few because ya won't get the sticky part of the web twisted inside, and then the second few you're gonna screw up the way it's woven. I'm not sayin' it t' be mean. I'm sayin' it 'cause it's true."

The iris fairy sighed. "You're probably right."

"'course I'm right, Yug'. This scarf is the result of countless other failures."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Yugi was both perplexed and frustrated. He was usually very good at puzzles, but there was just something about spider silk that made his brain short-circuit and die. He looked over at the neat rows of the blond's scarf and sighed. "I'm no good at this."

"Ya didn't get all of the ick off, Yug'," Joey replied, fingers twisting the silken thread swiftly. "Sometimes spiders put extra ick on. Here, lemme just…" He grabbed the smaller boy's silken mess and turned, slicing the unusable fabric off with one of his thorns before turning and carefully holding the thread back out to him. "Here. Ya pull the extra gunk off like this. Just start a pile of it and we'll have fun with it later."

The smaller fairy blinked. "What do you use it for?"

The blond smiled brightly. "I throw it at weeds."

Yugi gaped at him for a moment, startled, then couldn't help an amused giggle. "You would, Joey."

"'course I would. Weeds are jerks." Turning back to his own weaving, Joey frowned a little. "This needs somethin'. It looks too plain… I could put a rock on it. Humans put rocks on their rings all the time, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. …Why do they put rocks on their rings? Couldn't they choose something prettier?"

"Maybe because the rocks don't die and fall off like flowers do. Hmm… I'll go look for a rock t' use after I finish this." The blond stroked the growing scarf/ring and smiled. "I hope Seto likes it."

"How long does it usually take to make one of these completely?" Yugi asked, tilting his head.

Joey pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Well. I guess it takes me two or three days tops, dependin' on how bored I am. …It's gonna take at least a week for you, though, buddy. You're just beginnin'."

Yugi groaned.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey examined the rock in his hands carefully, lips pursed with concentration. "…I think this one will work."

It was a very pretty rock, he supposed, though he didn't understand why humans found them so fascinating. This one was a smooth, blue-gray oval. He couldn't tell if the rock had originally been blue or if the water had somehow made it that way, but he decided that it was really the best rock he had found and his scarf had been finished for days. He'd just needed a stone to put on it.

Well, even if Seto didn't like it, at least he could tell the brunet about his harrowing tale, dodging large orange and white foes that kept trying to leap up and attack him from the water. He had fought valiantly against them and had emerged the victor, retreating with this single smooth stone as his prize to put on his friend's ring.

He really was proud of himself. Those water-beasties had been quite frightening.

Fluttering back to his bush, he settled on the twigs he'd left the scarf on and carefully threaded his thorn-needle with some spare spider-silk. Pressing the stone to the center of the scarf, he expertly pushed the thorn through and plucked it out the other side, delicately crossing it over the stone and through the silken fabric on the other side. He continued to cross the sturdy thread over the stone until the strong material covered it like thin, shimmery gauze. It almost made the stone prettier.

The ring was finished!

Joey smiled and hugged the ring tightly. "This is great! I hope he likes it!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto lifted his head as he heard tapping at his window, grumbling as he reached out to fumble with his alarm clock. When he saw that it was two-thirty in the morning, he hoped someone was dying or that the mansion was on fire. He turned and hid his head under the pillow for a moment, but when the tapping became more insistent, he sighed loudly in frustration and finally got out of bed, stepping into his slippers as he shuffled over to the window.

He felt his ire begin to fade when he saw Joey hopping up and down in glee at seeing him. He'd learned that floral fairies were most active when it was somewhat cool and moist, and nearly comatose when it was hot and dry. He knew it wasn't necessarily helpful to water plants during the hottest part of the day, but when he'd seen how much more active Joey and Yugi had been and how grateful they'd been to enjoy the sunny weather rather than sleep through it, he hadn't really minded wasting the water. Unfortunately, the fairies would be going to sleep soon; it was getting too cold for them recently and they'd probably hibernate until early spring.

He'd spend as much time with the fairies until they fell asleep as they could.

Opening the window, he smiled tiredly. "Joey, what did I tell you about human sleep cycles?"

"Oh. Is it too late?" Joey turned and stared up at the moon. "I get confused when I'm goin' by the moon. It's easier t' go by the sun." He looked up at the brunet and frowned. "I'm sorry. I woke ya up at a bad time, huh?"

Seto felt his heart twist at the pathetic expression on the blond's face. "No, it's fine. What's got you so excited?"

The fairy immediately brightened up as he held up the scarf-ring. "I finished!"

"Oh. –Oh! Uh, thanks. It's beautiful." Seto leaned down to examine it and raised an eyebrow. "…This… this stone…"

"I got it out of the water with the big orange-and-white water beasties!"

The brunet smiled awkwardly. He had no idea how to explain that the water beasties were koi fish. "I see. That must have taken some courage." He held his hand out and allowed the blond to tie the soft but surprisingly strong fabric around his middle finger, then lifted it so he could examine it. "It's beautiful," he admitted in surprise. "How'd you make the rock shine like this?"

"I just put one layer of spider-silk over it so ya could still see it." Joey rocked back on his heels, clasping his hands behind his back as he smiled with glee. "I'm glad ya like it, Seto!"

"Yeah, blue and white like my favorite Duel Monster." Seto's lips quirked up into a genuine smile. "Thank you, Joey. –But I don't have anything special for you."

The blond hummed thoughtfully. "Weeeeell, there's always somethin' I've wanted t' do. Wouldja mind? I… I _think_ it's special for humans…"

"Uh, okay." The human raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Joey played with the hem of his shirt for a moment before blurting out, "I wanna kiss your cheek."

Seto blinked in surprise. "You… you want to kiss my cheek?"

"As somethin' special in return. I saw your parents and you and your brother doin' it all the time when you were kids. Would it be okay if I kissed your cheek?" the fairy asked nervously.

The brunet shrugged slowly. "I guess you can, if you like." He held his hand out for the fairy to step onto and carefully lifted him up to his face. He saw the blond lean forward and couldn't help a smile as he felt a soft brush like the smallest of feathers against his skin.

Joey squealed with glee and flew up from the human's hand, hugging himself as he did a few loops. He twirled around a few times as he heard the brunet chuckle, then fluttered to land on the window sill and turned to look up at him with a bright smile. "That was nice. I see why humans do it all the time. Ya wanna give me one?" he asked happily.

Seto snorted and leaned against the sill attached to the wall, smiling at the fairy in amusement. "Joey, I'd knock you over."

"I suppose ya would," the blond admitted to himself thoughtfully, then shrugged, happy that he'd been able to show affection to his friend. He flew up to place his hands on the human's nose and giggled when his eyes crossed to look at him. "I'm glad ya like it, Seto. Wear it every day I'm asleep, okay! That way you'll see it and think of me even when I'm hibernatin'!"

"I will," the human promised, smiling. "Thank you for the ring, Joey."

"Thanks. Yug' and I'll come up for one last tea before we hibernate." Joey stroked the brunet's nose affectionately, then turned and fluttered out the window, back to the garden below.

Seto rubbed where the fairy had touched him idly, unable to wipe the smile off his face, then turned and trudged back to his bed. For some reason, he didn't feel so angry about being woken as he had before.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, is this the ring Joey made for you? That's cool!" Mokuba exclaimed, smiling, as he grabbed his brother's hand to better look at the silk ring. He paused, then frowned. "…Is this one of the pieces of gravel from the koi pond?"

Seto glanced away from him and hummed. "Yes, but the story behind it includes an epic battle between Joey and water beasties."

The younger boy stared at him for a moment before sputtering, "What?"

"Ask Joey for the story when he and Yugi come up for tea before they hibernate," Seto replied flippantly, pulling his hand back. "Pass the sugar, Mokuba."

"…Seto, you confuse the hell out of me."

"Stop cursing, Mokuba. And pass the sugar."


	53. Werewolf

Author's Note: Good heavens, what is it about Seto and Joey as werewolves that I like so much? And don't worry. I'm working on my other stories too. **:)**

ALSO FORGIVE THE CRAPPY TITLE AAAAAAHHHH. D**:**

****Updated (07-30-12): This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There's a link on my author's page.

* * *

Werewolf

_He could still feel the fangs digging into his skin, ripping it apart and splattering his blood across furry muzzles. They'd torn at him with every intent of slaughtering him like a squealing pig and devouring his flesh. He'd truly thought he was going to die until a sharp howl had rent the air, and the pack of wolves backed off immediately, ducking their heads in a way he vaguely recalled was submissive._

_Then he remembered his brother, who had lunged into the sacrificial circle after him. He supposed he should be angry, but knowing that the younger boy probably would have been sacrificed the next year dulled his sense of fury merely to concern for his brother's __**current**__ condition._

_He'd pulled the younger boy into his arms and looked up to see what had caused the wolves to recede. It had been a light—the moon—but brighter, and the brightness kept coming closer and closer until it consumed them both completely._

_It had been warm, and the entity had filled him with a calming feeling. He'd heard the whisper of something that sounded like 'worthy' and 'ideal' and 'gift.'_

_Then he'd fainted because all of his wounds had begun to burn like he'd never suffered before and he felt his skull and back ripping apart._

Seto groaned quietly as he felt something licking delicately at his ears, which had ached for the last few days—ever since he'd realized he'd had the canine appendages. It felt heavenly, having someone soothe his burning skin with their own hot tongue. He realized he should be more frightened, but the creature behind him was a werewolf—the creature he himself had been turned into after passing some sort of test during the sacrificial ritual—and he could feel nothing but content as the other creature comforted him the only way it knew how. Besides, he'd been cold and had been unable to do anything but lie where he was for the first few days, and had been too afraid to wander outside the cave he'd found himself in for this last one.

The long, slow swipes of the tongue were so soothing that all he wanted to do was melt. He moaned as the hot muscle moved around to his throat, then snarled and turned, instinctively slamming the other werewolf down and growling—that had been much too close to his artery for his taste, and after the attack he'd suffered earlier, he didn't want to go through a near-death experience any time soon.

The blond offered his own neck accommodatingly, batting long lashes at him in a way that his head said was confusing but his cock assured was alluring. His pink lips curved into a sweet smile. "Welcome," he said quietly, then gently pushed him away and stood, trotting away with a simple wave of his tail. He paused at the edge of the cave and turned to smile at him again. "Your brother is at the healer's den. He's been asking for you."

Seto whined in the back of his throat for a reason that was unknown to him yet. "I…"

"Rest. The other males will teach you all ya need t' know," the blond cooed, still smiling. "I have other duties t' attend to. Please be still."

The brunet whined again, eyes drawn to the waving tail before pausing on the curved hips, where a thick piece of fur hung low. It dangled loosely around the blond's thighs, leaving just enough to the imagination that Seto couldn't _help_ but wonder what was under there. His eyes drifted back up to the other werewolf's golden hair. Yellow was quite an unusual color in this area…

Wait, other males? The handsome werewolf with his hot tongue wasn't going to help him?

—Mokuba was asking for him. Mokuba needed him!

Charging out of the cave, he was momentarily blinded and immediately winded as he was slammed into. "GAH."

"…I wouldn't move around too quickly if I were you," the other man stated, crossing his arms. "You okay?"

Seto whined again. "I feel like I ran into a wall."

"You did. A wall of muscle. Don't worry; after you get some hunting in, you'll be more muscular, too," the older werewolf replied. He offered him a hand up. "…You're scrawny even for newly-turned standards," he muttered, frowning. "What-?"

"My brother and I didn't really receive much to eat," Seto growled, allowing himself to be pulled up. He whined. "Where is he?"

The other man turned and pointed to another cave nearby. "Over there. But Joey told you to rest, didn't he? You shouldn't be up and about."

"Joey? Was that his name?" Seto tilted his head, then growled, unconsciously baring his teeth. "Doesn't matter. I want to see my little brother."

"Alright." The other man held his hands up in defeat. "Go ahead. See if I care."

The brunet didn't need to be told twice, unable to help being offended that the man didn't trust him to know his own body. When he collapsed in the doorway from exhaustion, however, he realized Joey and the man he'd run into were probably right.

Getting nuzzled and licked by his also-turned brother sort of made up for it, though, even if he was trapped in the healer's den instead of what he learned was to be his own shared den with his brother.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Wow, you two are _really_ bad at this," Tristan sighed, watching another deer escape. He turned to look at the two new werewolves that were panting in the middle of the clearing. "We've been practicing for months. You should be better than this by now."

Seto muttered something that could have been vulgar if it hadn't been breathless and exhausted.

Yugi smiled at the unwinded brunet and shrugged. "They're just late bloomers. They'll get the hang of it eventually."

"…Or starve once we leave them to hunt on their own. We only have two more weeks before we have to leave them be." Tristan frowned and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't hold much hope for this."

"Are we done for the day then?" Mokuba whimpered. "I'm tired…"

Seto sat up and shook his head, ignoring how lights momentarily danced in his eyes before he caught his breath. "Mokuba, they're right. We really need to practice more, and—"

Mokuba whined.

"…Go play," the brunet growled, scowling. He watched his brother immediately scamper away (appearing as if he hadn't been exhausted for a moment), then sighed and turned to the other two werewolves that had been trying so desperately to teach them how to hunt. "What do I keep doing wrong?"

"Your brother keeps jumping the gun," Yugi replied easily. "It's understandable, though, since he's so young. You're a few moments too late, though, so you keep giving the deer an escape route. You just need to work on your timing." He paused. "…And also get your brother to calm down. This is food, not fun."

Seto sighed again and licked his lips at the thought of sinking his teeth into a deer's soft throat. "Yeah…"

"…Why don't you take a few hours to get in touch with the forest?" Tristan suggested. "It would help when we go hunting next. Besides, you've scared everything within three miles awa—NGH!" He grunted when his smaller companion elbowed him in the side. "What? He has!"

"Part of it could be because the deer can smell how much you stink. When was the last time you took a bath?" Yugi exclaimed, scowling. "And I probably could have been quieter. It wasn't just him."

The brunet frowned and turned to sniff his shoulder. "I don't smell that bad. Do I?"

Seto sent him a deadpanned stare. "…"

"…I'll go take a bath…"

Watching them leave, the brunet sighed again and looked down at the dark gray fur wrapped around his own hips, picking at some of the stray hairs. If he couldn't prove he could hunt, the Goddess might take away the gift that She had bestowed on he and his brother. He didn't want that. He wanted to prove that he was a good werewolf that could provide for his family—his mate and pups, if he had them—and that he was a good hunter.

He didn't want to be sent back to Her minions to be torn apart again, this time for good.

Before he could wallow too long in his self-pity, Seto's ears perked up as he heard soft humming that his brain knew piqued his curiosity but his body somehow knew excited him. Standing and trotting toward the quiet hum, he peeked out from beneath a tree and whined to himself quietly when he saw Joey washing in one of the streams that led to the lake.

The brunet took a few moments to take in the tan skin, glowing in the afternoon sunlight, until his eyes caught sight of the fuzzy blond trail that dipped under the water and blurred coyly. He frowned. He'd been noticing a lot of other werewolves' bodies lately, and when he'd quietly expressed his concerns to the healer, he had only laughed and informed him that he was the age where most werewolves mated and settled down and his new instincts were probably over-accommodating for it.

But no one had been as attractive as the blond that he'd woken to licking his ears.

Hearing the snap of a twig, Joey turned sharply, immediately grabbing his tail to tuck in front of him demurely. When he saw who was peeping at him, however, he had to smile. "I see you're doin' well."

"…I guess," Seto replied after a moment, feeling awkward. "I'm still depending on others for food, though."

"That's okay. I was a slow learner, too," the blond assured, shrugging a little. "I was always too excited. That's why I've been assigned babysittin' duties." He pulled his tail a little closer to his body and glanced away. "Um, aside from other obvious reasons."

The older boy frowned. "Obvious reasons?"

The blond's cheeks tinted pink in surprise and embarrassment. "W-well, I was born able t' carry children, so everyone always told me it wasn't safe t' go hunt on my own, in case someone from a different pack wanted t' force me t' mate with 'em. I'm a perfectly good fighter, of course, but no one wanted t' take the chance," he added sadly. "And they said I had the choice of matin' with a man _or_ a woman, but then they sort of took that chance away from me when the elders started warnin' women against acceptin' courtship with me." He grimaced. "They said I was more valuable as a bitch."

Seto scowled. "That doesn't seem fair at _all._ And you just let them get away with it?"

"I was too young t' realize it at the time." The blond shrugged helplessly. "And by the time I was old enough, it was too late. All of the girls were too afraid of what the elders might do t' punish 'em that they decided I was too much trouble." He paused, then smiled again. "Am I that interesting?"

The brunet blinked. "Huh?"

"You're starin'."

"…I am! Sorry, I didn't realize and—sorry. I just—sorry."

Joey chuckled quietly and stepped out of the water as the brunet hurried to look anywhere that wasn't at him. "I don't mind. I think it's sort of cute." He shook himself dry as the former human hesitantly turned his gaze back on him, then reached up for his fur wrap that had been drying on a branch nearby. "I hear the Goddess's test for ya is comin' soon, t' decide whether or not you're actually fit t' be a werewolf. I'm sure you and your brother will pass it with no trouble."

Seto frowned. "How can you be so sure? Everyone else seems to think that She's going to kill us because we besmirch the other werewolves so much."

The blond laughed again. "Besmirch us? There are some full-grown males that still have trouble huntin' and hafta go in groups! You'll be fine. Trust me."

"…If you say so…" The brunet sighed, then blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Um, the healer told me that licking someone's ears is very personal, so, I, um… wanted to apologize for making you do that—"

"No need." Joey smiled at him so sweetly that he felt sugar melting into his brain and making him want to receive that smile again and again. "I wanted t' do it. Besides…" He stepped up to the brunet and trailed a hand down his bare chest. "You intrigue me." His fingers stilled over the rippling abdomen. "Hmm. You're gettin' more muscle already," he cooed, then began leaning toward his face.

Every instinct he had was screaming at him to grab the blond and take him right there, but Seto reigned those feelings in resolutely. He dipped his head to perhaps meet the younger boy's mouth, wondering if his pink lips tasted as sweet as they looked—

"SETO, COME LOOK AT THIS!"

Seto let his head fall onto the blond's shoulder with a defeated whine as the younger werewolf chuckled in amusement. "Damn it."

"Well, it seems your brother needs you," Joey stated, still chuckling a little, as he stepped back. "I'll see ya around, Seto." He batted his eyelashes at him before turning and sauntering away.

The brunet whined again as he watched his hips swaying with each step until he disappeared behind some trees, feeling let down and cheated and angry and exasperated and a million other things. One of the more highly desired werewolves had been flirting with him and the moment had been ruined and he was certain that he wouldn't be getting another chance for him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

They'd passed. HOW IN THE WORLD HAD THEY PASSED!

Sure, he'd gotten better at hunting (a little), and he'd even gotten Mokuba to calm enough so he didn't send the deer scattering, but he was still far from experienced enough to be considered a good candidate for living as a werewolf.

He still startled himself with his tail, for Pete's sake!

Still, the throngs of people coming by and offering the two of them food and blankets were ironic, even if they were congratulatory. He turned to look at all of the jerky and furs they'd been given and sighed. Well, they wouldn't have to hunt for a while. That was good. And they'd never be cold, so… He just thanked the Goddess that the trail of well-wishers had trickled to a stop.

He heard a cough at the edge of his den. So much for that thought.

Turning, Seto was surprised to find a familiar blond werewolf pausing politely just inside his den. "Joey."

Joey smiled at him and nodded. "I told ya that you'd pass, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," Seto replied, returning the smile.

Joey waited a few more moments before hesitantly asking, "May I come in?"

"What? Yes. …Oh! I'm sorry! Yes, come in!" Seto slapped a hand over his face. What sort of idiot was he to make his (very attractive) guest stand next to the door? "Sorry. I don't know where my brain goes when I talk to you."

"Probably t' your penis," the blond supplied helpfully, stepping further into the small but quaint den. He examined it slowly. "This is a very nice den. Where's your brother?"

"Oh, he's probably in his room." The brunet frowned thoughtfully. "He was exhausted after the test, so he just took some of the furs and jerky and passed out in there."

"His… room?" Joey blinked at him in confusion.

Seto led him over to a small hole in the wall that he'd painstakingly dug out with his own hands. "Yes. –It's something we had as humans," he explained as the blond peered into the tiny nook. "We needed someplace private that we could retreat to and sleep in. I've dug out my own room, too, so if you come in and don't see me, you should check for me in there."

The smaller werewolf wandered over to peek into the brunet's 'room,' ears flying up when he saw how small it was. After a moment, he smiled coyly and turned to look up at him. "It's pretty small. Probably only big enough for you."

Seto blinked. "Yes… But I'm the only one that's going to be in it, so…"

Joey stared at him, flabbergasted, then sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. Well, congratulations on passin' your test. I've gotta get back t' my own den."

The brunet walked him to the opening of his den, perplexed as to why the younger boy was suddenly so cold. Then he realized. "You were flirting with me."

"Yes." Joey turned to smile up at him. "You're so stupid it's cute."

Seto frowned. "Why would you flirt with _me?_ There are other werewolves more deserving…"

Joey stared at him for a moment. The brunet really had no idea how the girls of the pack giggled about how cute he was. "You're an idiot. But I guess it's still cute," he cooed, patting the brunet's cheek. He glanced at the other boy's 'room' and smiled again. "Though if ya made your little room a bit bigger, I wouldn't mind curlin' up in it with ya." He winked and left the den. "Just keep that in mind."

Seto watched him go with a quiet whine. All of his blood was steadily rushing to his groin and he wanted nothing more than to hump the blond until they both passed out. Turning, he bolted back to his room and began digging frantically, at first opening the mouth and then abandoning the idea to make the hole deeper.

"—Gah! Seto, what the hell!" Mokuba scrambled out of his room in confusion, shaking the dirt from his hair. "I was sleeping!" Seeing his brother frantically digging out his room after he'd deemed it perfect, he frowned. "…What are you doing?"

The brunet turned to look at him, face already smudged with dirt. "I'm trying to obtain a mate."

"…Uh… Okay." The younger boy tilted his head, then yawned and turned to trudge to the pile of meat. "I'll just go back to sleep when you're finished."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hmm, it _is_ much bigger," Joey murmured, crawling into the hole and examining the curved walls. Crawling to the back of the nook, he curled up against the back, then mewed in approval and settled down. When the brunet crawled in with him, they filled the hole snugly, but not uncomfortably. Laying his head on the older boy's shoulder, he swiped his tongue over his twitching ear a few times before he settled against him. "Mm… You're warm."

Seto's tail began to wag. "You are, too. _Very_ warm."

"Mm…" Humming quietly, the blond rubbed his cheek over the older boy's neck. Once he'd nuzzled comfortably against him, he murmured, "I'm gonna go into heat soon."

His wagging tail stilled. "…Are you going to find a mate then?"

"I was hoping," Joey sighed, pressing closer to him. "I could go without a mate and soak myself in the river for the next week, but I've recently decided that the idea doesn't appeal t' me anymore."

Seto turned his head to look at him. "Did you have someone in mind?"

"Yes…" The blond smiled up at him sweetly. "Someone kind, and sort of dim, but someone who's tryin' very hard t' adapt t' the lot he's been given." His tail wagged once, twice. "Someone who's rather attractive and adorable when he's distracted by my hips."

Seto blushed a little. "It's not my fault. They're just so… curvy."

Joey snuggled closer and kissed his neck. "I think you'll notice how much more curvy they'll seem when you're white-knucklin' them as ya pound into me."

His blood was flowing to his cock again. "I can't think when you say suggestive things."

"I know. It's cute," the blond giggled. "Would you… _mind_ havin' puppies with me, Seto?"

Seto nuzzled the younger boy's shoulder. "…I don't think so. Just as long as you're certain you want me."

"I think you'd be a wonderful father. Mokuba thinks you're swell, and you've done a good job raisin' him. Besides, if you're unsure, we have the rest of the pack for help."

The brunet hummed thoughtfully and buried his nose in the smaller boy's thick mane of hair. "You smell so good…"

Joey smiled and licked his chin. "You smell good, too. And once I go into heat, your scent's gonna be _all_ over me."

Seto whined, then growled and rolled on top of him. "What about now? Can I cover you in my scent now?"

The blond hummed. "Are ya suggestin' that I spread my legs for ya in this tiny space?" He purred and looked up at him coyly. "I don't know if I can spread my legs that wide in this little room, Set—_oh!_" He blushed a little as the brunet settled between his legs. "…Well, so much for playin' hard t' get."

"…We could play tag," the brunet suggested after a moment. "I've seen other couples doing that."

Joey tilted his head and blinked innocently. "Play… tag?"

"When one of us runs around and the other chases. Humans call that tag. When you tag someone, it's the other person's turn to chase."

The blond giggled at the matter-of-fact tone. "Well, I suppose that's the same as our chasin' game. Except when we tag, it's a full-body tackle, and then we wrestle."

"…I like the sound of this game."

"Good because I get a head start!"

Seto yelped as the blond somehow wriggled out from under him and scampered out of his den, then growled and began sprinting after him. He couldn't help the thrill of excitement he felt when the other werewolf peeked back at him and smiled before ducking behind a tree. When he rounded it, he just barely brushed the blond's arm with his claws before the other boy scampered off again, looking back at him and laughing in a way that seemed more playful than condescending.

"Can't catch me!"

Seto's tail began to wag as he leapt after him again. "Yes I can!"

He'd never played tag before, but as he chased the blond around, each leap and snatch and sprint made him feel happier and more alive than he'd ever felt as a human living in a town that hated him. Suddenly, he felt like he belonged in this world, and thanked the Goddess that had transformed him and his brother for giving them a new chance to make something of their lives.

He paused as he failed to hear the blond's laughter anymore, smile fading as he didn't even hear the sound of him moving. He thought for a split-second that maybe he'd run off because he was just teasing him, but a deeper, stronger feeling inside told him that that wasn't the case and that he should try sniffing him out.

Dipping his head, he began snuffling around, tail wagging again when he finally heard a muffled chuckle behind him. Pretending to track the other way, he smirked as the blond began to sneak up behind him. After a moment, he turned and slammed into him, making him yelp in surprise. "Gotcha!"

Joey laughed and tried to roll on top of him, squealing as the brunet leaned down to nip his neck. "Seto-! Eeee!" He squirmed a little longer, putting up a little more fight, before finally sagging back in defeat, a content smile on his face.

Seto licked his lips. "You're beautiful. I think I've loved you since I woke up to you licking my ears."

The blond blushed and licked his lips. "Oh?"

"Yes. I've wanted you for so long…"

"There are lots of other, more attractive people," Joey began, smiling a little, but cut himself off in surprise when the brunet let out a snarl. "Seto?"

"Not to me. You're the most beautiful werewolf here and I only want you," Seto growled. He leaned his face into the blond's throat and snuffled gently. "…I only want to have pups with you."

Joey blushed a little more and let his eyes drift shut, moaning quietly as the brunet pressed closer to him. "Then I'll only have pups with you." He mewed and leaned up to lick his cheek. "Only your pups, Seto."

Seto's tail began to wag again. "Mine… Mine." He nipped the blond's bottom lip lightly. "All mine."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey hovered at the entrance to the brunet's den and frowned. He'd be going into heat in a day or two (he was already feeling a bit feverish), and when they'd last parted, it was pretty much decided that they would mate. But Seto hadn't come to see him after that. It had been a couple weeks. He hadn't wanted to pressure Seto if he was having second thoughts (it would be his first winter and mating season, after all), so he hadn't sought him out. But he was getting closer to his heat now and he was getting nervous.

After a moment, he stepped into the den and hesitantly called out, "Seto? Are ya here?" He heard a yelp and some shuffling and frowned in confusion. "Seto?"

"Joey!" Mokuba came scampering from his room and reached out to grab his arm. "Joey, help!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Joey asked, allowing the younger boy to lead him further into the den.

"I don't know! Seto just stumbled into the den a couple of weeks ago all bruised up and he's not eating and he won't come out of his room!" the younger boy babbled, whimpering quietly to himself. He paused just outside the hole his brother called his room and shoved the blond ahead of him.

Joey hesitated just outside the brunet's room before sighing and leaning in. "Seto? Are you okay?"

The furs the brunet was lying under shifted before he slowly lifted his head. "Joey…?"

Joey gasped and covered his mouth as he saw the dark bruise around the other boy's right eye and the cut in his left ear. His lip was cut, too, and there were rusty red stains under his nostrils from blood.

He fell to his knees and cupped the brunet's face. "Seto, what happened? Is this why ya didn't come see me-?" He stroked the other boy's hair and touched his ear lightly before running his thumb over his cut lip. "Oh, Seto…"

Seto looked up at him and swallowed thickly. "Some of the other men cornered me and told me I should stay away from you, because there were other, more respectable werewolves that deserved you more than I did. I tried to argue, but then they just…" He coughed weakly and tucked his right arm to his chest. It had been splinted and bandaged already, but it still ached a lot. "I couldn't fight them all. I got in some good punches, but I wasn't any match."

"Oh, Seto…" Joey stroked his cheek again, then pulled the fur back to see the rest of the bruises and scratches on his body. "_Oh…!_ This is terrible!" He looked back up at the blue eyes and whined. "Seto, I'm so sorry. If I'd known—" He paused, then turned and snarled. "Mokuba, go stay with my sister tonight."

The younger boy blinked. "But Joey, I—"

"_Go stay with my sister and tell her to bring some jerky and medicinal herbs tomorrow morning,_" Joey hissed.

Mokuba cowered, tail up between his legs, then scampered out. "Yessir!"

Joey glared after him for a moment before turning back to the brunet and pulling the furs off of him, including the loincloth. "Well, at least they didn't hurt ya down here. Sometimes jealous males will go straight for the balls."

Seto squeaked.

Joey frowned and reached up to cup his cheek again. "I'll take care of ya. I only wanna mate with you, Seto. I—Oh, Seto, ya shoulda come straight t' me…!" He leaned in to brush their lips together. "Oh, Seto."

The brunet reached his uninjured arm up to wrap around the blond's waist and pulled him onto his lap. "I wanted to, but I didn't want them to make it difficult for you or Mokuba."

"Oh, Seto…" The blond kissed him again, lips pressing together lightly, before he let out a quiet whimper. Smelling Seto, the one he'd already consciously decided was his mate, was making him horny, but he didn't want to hurt him. "Seto, I… Um…" He blushed and reached out to rest his hands on the brunet's shoulders, sliding them down his chest slowly, then yanked his hands back and looked away in embarrassment. "Are ya hungry? Can I go get somethin' for ya?"

Seto leaned in to kiss his neck and sighed. "I'm not hungry. I just… ache." He blinked as he felt something wet on his thigh and looked down. "…Are you peeing on me?"

Joey ducked his head in embarrassment and blushed. "No, 'm gettin' wet 'cause I'm horny and about t' go into heat." He squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered. "I'm so sorry. I know you're hurt, and now really isn't the time, but—" He gasped as the brunet dug his claws lightly into his hip and pulled him closer, albeit tenderly because of his bruises (and probably cracked ribs). "Seto-!"

Seto licked his throat gently, trailing his claws over his hip again before pressing his palm against the blond's chest and sliding it over so his fingers caught his nipple lightly. "I'm afraid I won't be able to pound into you like this, but if we're careful, perhaps… you could ride me."

The blond squeaked quietly, arching his back as the other boy pinched and twisted his nipple. "Set-! Set—" He squeaked again as the brunet caught his other nipple between his teeth. "Seto!" He reached up to dig his hands into the other boy's hair and gasped. "Ooooh!"

Seto suckled and nipped and pinched playfully until the blond began humping lightly against him. "Mm…" He released the hardened nubs and looked up at him. "Does that sound okay?"

Joey moaned and looked at him in confusion. "Ride you…?" He blinked slowly. "What does that mean?"

"It… means that you're on top of me," the brunet replied awkwardly.

Joey jerked back awkwardly. "Me? On top? Of you?" He hunched his shoulders nervously. "I-I don't think I could, Seto. Ya don't get wet like I do and you're already so hurt—"

Seto's gaze was completely deadpan. "I'll still be inside you. You'll just be on top."

"Oh. Um…" He blushed and turned his head away awkwardly. "Well, I wouldn't wanna strain ya, and you're already hurt, and you should probably heal—" He gasped as the brunet yanked him closer with his good arm. "Seto!"

"I'm sorry. I wanted to mate with you and start a family. I really did," Seto whispered, frowning. "I'm sorry I'm making you wait. I'm sorry I'm not stronger."

"You'll get stronger," Joey assured him, reaching up to cup his cheeks again. "You've only been a werewolf for under a year. You'll get stronger. You'll get faster. And you'll learn more about everyone else." He leaned in to kiss him lightly. "We'll mate later. We don't hafta mate durin' my heat. We'll just have puppies next year. You can escort me t' the river so I can cool off."

Seto nuzzled his neck lightly, then purred, "I have another idea…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I wonder why Joey didn't want us to bring these over immediately…" Serenity wondered, arms full of jerky and dried herbs, plus a thick fur in case the injured werewolf had a fever.

Mokuba frowned. "I don't know, but your brother almost ripped my head off."

"Well, of course. When he uses his 'in charge' voice, you follow orders without question." She paused outside the entrance to the other boy's den and waited for him to invite her inside before following him in.

The both paused as they began hearing kittenish mewls and tilted their heads, the younger boy hesitating awkwardly. Eventually, though, the redhead charged forward, pausing just outside the brunet's 'room.' She blinked as she found Seto leaning against the wall, a pair of tan legs extended over his shoulders.

Joey blinked up at her, cheeks flushed as he panted out, "Hey…"

"…Do you want me to begin mixing these herbs with water and make these into salves?" she asked after a moment.

"Um, ye—Ooh! Yeah!" He blushed a little darker and dug his claws into the dirt floor. "And make—oh! Make some of th-aaat! Some o' that pain—_DAH!_" He gasped and arched his back as the brunet did something _especially_ interesting.

"…The pain neutralizer. Sure," she replied, smiling. "Anything else you need?" When the blond looked up at her desperately with an expression that clearly told her to get lost for a few minutes, she just continued to smile and scampered out, dragging the other boy with her.

Seto let his eyes drift shut as the blond screeched as he came, licking him a few more times, then leaned back and looked down at him.

Joey let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and moaned. "I can't even imagine how good it's gonna be when we actually mate…!"

Seto sat up straight and whined. "I'm sorry."

"'s not your fault." Joey sat up and used his discarded loincloth to clean the mess from his stomach. "We'll just have pups next year." He looked up at the brunet and purred, "But I'm gonna be really disappointed when we mate if ya don't make me feel _even better._"

The brunet whined again. "Please don't make me horny when I can't act on it."

The blond reached out to cup his cheek and leaned in to kiss him lightly. "'m sorry." He brushed the brunet's hair out of his face and nipped his bottom lip lightly. "Did the healer say anything about your arm?"

Seto flinched and jerked his head away. "…I didn't see the healer. I couldn't tell if he would be on my side or theirs."

"But—Your arm-?" He looked down at the splint on the brunet's arm and frowned.

The brunet glanced away awkwardly. "I always had to take care of myself and Mokuba. I learned how to splint and bandage wounds quickly."

Joey felt his heart break a little. "Are humans that cruel to each other…?"

Seto nodded once, shortly. "Yes. Especially to orphans who had no adults to stand up for them." He flinched as the blond slid his arms around his waist and laid his head on his shoulder, aggravating his wounds a little. "I've gotten used to it."

The other boy whined and kissed his neck lightly. "Oh, Seto… The healer wouldn't take sides. He could have helped ya heal faster, and—" He sighed quietly. "Oh, never mind. Serenity's makin' somethin' t' help with the pain and salves t' put on your cuts and bruises. We'll get this straightened out." He smiled. "And then we'll mate and we can show those bastards that hurt ya that you're better than them because you're the one I mated with."

Seto paused, then smiled a little himself. "Yes, I suppose you're right." He kissed the blond's neck gently. "I'll just focus on getting better then."

Joey kissed him lightly. "Good." He kissed him a little longer, then leaned back and sighed. "Serenity, you can come in now."

Serenity smiled and brought in a few bowls of salves, along with a leather bottle full of the mixture that would help with the pain. "All finished then?"

Seto blushed a little when the blond merely smiled and said, "For now." Werewolves were quite open about their sexuality. When he saw his brother peeking nervously into his room, he squeaked and pulled a fur up so it covered them at least modestly.

Joey frowned. "Nudity is a perfectly natural state of being, Seto, and—"

"I NEVER WANT MY LITTLE BROTHER TO SEE MY PENIS," Seto growled, glaring at him.

Mokuba paled. "I concur!"

Joey sighed and rolled his eyes as his sister giggled. "Jeez, what did those humans do t' you?"

"I just don't want my brother to see my penis is that okay?"

"Serenity and I used to take baths together all the time!"

"_JOEY._"

Joey sighed again, brows furrowing together in annoyance. "Fine. But if he ever walks in on us, I refuse t' stop 'cause he didn't hear us with his big ears or smell us coupling."

Seto sighed and looked at his brother. They silently agreed that that was acceptable.

Because they were werewolves now, and apparently that's just what werewolves did.


	54. Nymph and Nix

Author's Note: I've recently learned that the term 'nymph' actually encompasses an entire class of minor nature deities. For the sake of things, Joey's a dryad (and so is his unmentioned father) while Serenity and his mother are Oceanids, all technically nymphs.

I've put my own spin on Nixes, too, so Seto is not your 'typical' nix. He does share the basic premise of Nixes, though.

This took so long to do! OTL

* * *

Nymph and Nix

"And did you hear that Nyrsta has been sleeping with a human? She even said she's planning to have children with him!"

"Birch, please. Every nymph worth her water and roots knows that!"

"Oh, you did not just call me birch!"

Joey sighed as he heard the other women squabbling and stepped out from behind some branches. "Please don't tell me that all ya do is gossip."

The other nymphs gasped and immediately fell silent, pursing their lips in disapproval or hurriedly turning their gazes elsewhere.

Joey sighed, scowling. "I'm just here 'cause Ma told me t' bring my sister. Says there're too many satyrs around t' let little girls walk alone."

The nymphs immediately smiled. "Oh, your sister? How lovely! It's been so long since we've seen her!"

"How is your mother doing? Not still ill, I hope!"

"Is there anything we can do for your family while your mother is… indisposed?"

The blond huffed. "We're. Fine. Thank you."

Before the other nymphs and dryads could titter about his bad manners, his sister appeared from behind the branches, smiling sweetly. "Hello, everyone. Mother sends her regards." When her brother snorted in disgust, she elbowed him in the side, smile still in place, before she approached the group and took a seat just inside the circle they'd made.

Joey frowned, feeling a slight pang of longing to belong with the group. But, he was male, so he knew he'd never really belong. Nymphs always held distrust toward men, and even though he was a dryad, he would never be accepted into their social groups, simply because he had male genitalia.

Sighing, he turned and left the little grotto they congregated at, peering up at the sun to see how long it would be until he could return to collect his sister. She'd said just before sunset. He still had a few hours before he had to be back.

He should have brought his pan flute. At least he'd have something to do. But he couldn't make it home to collect it and enjoy playing it before he went back for Serenity, so he decided he'd just bring it next time and busy himself weaving some flowers together for his mother and sister. He supposed he could go find Tristan and ask to borrow his, but he didn't want to chance any stray nymphs catching sight of him talking with a satyr this close to the grape harvest.

Gathering some flowers and long grass, he wondered how he should weave them together. His mother liked brighter flowers, but Serenity liked simple patterns. He wasn't sure he could make the two gifts and have them look equally as good, even when both females gushed and thanked him and wore their gifts proudly around their territory.

It was almost embarrassing how happy they were when he gave them gifts.

Joey paused in surprise as he heard something nearby. He'd never heard anything like it. Holding the flowers and grass to his chest, he began toward it and, wary of any traps a human might have set out, he picked his way toward a nearby river. He peered out from behind a tree nervously, frowning, only to gasp as he saw a brunet sitting on a rock in the middle of the river, moving a thin stick over an unfamiliar but beautiful white instrument.

The music was hauntingly beautiful. Even the most experienced of satyrs wouldn't be able to captivate him like this nymph was.

Was he a nymph? Was that possible? He looked much darker than the nymphs around here. Perhaps he was a human with some sort of mental illness. He'd heard that humans could have problems that made them do strange things, like sit in the middle of a river or play music in strange places.

Joey gasped as the brunet suddenly opened his eyes and looked directly at him, breath catching in his throat at how bright and clearly and ethereally blue they were.

The brunet paused, then settled backward, smiling as he brought the instrument from his shoulder. "Hello."

The dryad stared at him for a moment longer, then gasped, ducking back behind the tree.

"Oh, don't be like that. –You're a dryad, aren't you? I've heard you're shy. You don't need to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of ya!" Joey snapped, but didn't step out from behind the tree. "It's just… I don't know what ya are. You could be dangerous." He paused, then finally peeked out from around the tree, scowling. "'nd 'm not shy!" He blinked when he didn't see the brunet on the rock. "Wha…"

"I'm not human, if that's what you're worrying about."

The blond shrieked and turned only to find the other creature standing in front of him, one hand resting just above his head against the tree as the brunet leaned toward him. "When did you—"

"It wasn't difficult to swim over here," the brunet replied, smiling a little. "I'm a nix, after all. Water is my home."

Joey paused, then smiled nervously. "So you're not a human?"

"I have slit ears. Of course I'm not human." The nix ran a hand through his surprisingly dry hair, then leaned back. "My name is Seto. I'm from… the north. What is your name?"

"Oh. Um, it's Joey." The blond blushed a little as he received a charming smile for his name, biting his bottom lip. "…What is that?" he asked after a moment of (to him) awkward silence.

The brunet glanced at his gleaming white instrument, then looked back down at him, smiling again. "It's a violin."

"Oh. It sounds beautiful when ya play."

Seto chuckled. "It should. I've played it my entire life, almost." He paused, then motioned back toward the river. "Would you like me to play something for you?"

"Oh. Um, anything ya wanna play, I guess," the blond answered bashfully, following him toward the edge of the river. He sat down at the edge of the water and spread the flowers and grass out so he could weave some flower necklaces without too much trouble.

Seto settled himself back on the rock in the middle of the river and tucked the white violin between his neck and shoulder, then carefully took the bow and began gliding it over the strings.

Joey couldn't help but smile as the music began, eyes drifting closed to give the song his full attention. "It's so beautiful…"

"I can teach a man to play so beautifully that he can make the trees dance and waterfalls stop where they are," the brunet stated quietly, not taking his eyes of the blond. "Why don't you dance, beautiful tree?"

The dryad looked up at him in surprise, then frowned, glancing away in surprise. "Oh, well, I can't really dance, and I'm not really a very pretty tree, I—"

"If you really don't want to, fine. Perhaps my skills simply need to be honed further. After all, how could I ever expect to teach a human to make a tree dance if I can't make you dance myself?"

Joey blushed brightly and hurriedly looked back down at his lap, eyes wide. He knew that nymphs could be incredibly amorous, but they were mostly teases. The nix was much less coy about it, and he didn't quite know how to handle it, so he simply listened to the beautiful music and twisted the grass and flowers into two very pretty necklaces.

Just before sunset, he said goodbye and left more quickly than he normally would have; he knew he was being rude, but he didn't know how to handle the feelings he was faced with when he looked up to find the brunet had been staring at him the entire time.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked down at his lap, frowning, then sighed and shook his head. He was never going to be accepted into the group that welcomed his mother and sister with open arms. He was male, like his father had been, and that immediately made him a threat to a mostly female people. He'd never do anything, of course; his mother had raised him with the same terror of men that all nymphs raised their daughters with, so he wouldn't ever try to exert power over anyone.

That didn't mean he didn't want to have friends that weren't satyrs or humans. He wanted to sit around and gossip with other nymphs. But it seemed like the only other nymphs that were male were dryads like he was, and Seto was right; dryads were mostly shy, so they didn't sit around and gossip until they really knew each other. And with Oceanids for a sister and mother, dryads weren't really keen to get to know him, since the water nymphs were mostly known for spreading rumors even if they weren't true.

Blushing at the sudden thought of the nix, the blond looked to the side and brought his pan flute to his lips to take his mind off of the flirty brunet. As he played, he let his eyes drift shut. It wasn't a very good pan flute, because he'd made it himself, but it was his, and he loved it.

"How am I supposed to make you dance when you won't even dance to your own music?"

The lovely wooden whistles squealed as his concentration was broken, and he pulled the flute from his lips and blushed as he looked up to find the brunet he'd been trying not to think about sitting across the brook from him. "Geh!"

Seto smiled a little. "I didn't mean to startle you. I apologize."

Joey bit his bottom lip and looked back down at his lap. "It's okay. Sorry. I'm just not used t' other people talkin' t' me."

"That's a shame. You seem like an incredibly interesting person." The brunet leaned toward him a little. "What is that?"

"Huh? Oh. It's a pan flute. Satyrs make them. Well, I made this one myself, but it's not as good as the ones satyrs make," the dryad replied, playing with the twine around one of the wooden rods.

The nix tilted his head. "I see. You sounded quite good when you played." He settled his violin between his chin and shoulder and looked up at him. "If you continue, I might be able to accompany you."

Joey blushed a little and brought the pan flute to his lips again, eyes drifting shut as he began playing the simplest melody he knew. A moment later, he heard the low sound of the brunet's string instrument playing in perfect harmony. They played for several minutes.

Seto jumped a little as the blond abruptly pulled the pan flute from his lips and looked up at him, surprised by the nervous expression he was given. "Is something wrong? I thought it sounded good."

"Do ya wanna learn how t' play?" Joey asked, then blushed a little. "Um. I mean. It might be something interestin' that you could show t' your friends when ya go home."

The brunet raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Okay. Why not? My brother might get a kick out of it."

"_Great!_" Joey jumped to his feet and smiled brightly. "I'll go find Tristan and he can make a pan flute for ya!" He paused. "…It should take maybe two or three days. But I hafta help get the field ready for the party next week so I'm gonna be makin' wreaths and streamers for the next few days anyway." He looked at the brunet and smiled. "You're comin' t' the party, right?"

"…Um?"

"Well, of course you're gonna come. Every nymph and dryad will be there. It's the celebration of the end of harvest," the blond continued, mostly to himself. "You'd like it, I think. There'll be lots of wine and food and music and dancin' and sex."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about everything else, but if I have a chance to see you dance, I will definitely be there."

The dryad blushed and took a step back. "Wha-! Why do ya wanna see me dance so much, ya freak!"

"Because I enjoy seeing dryads dance," the nix replied, walking across the river to stand next to him. He leaned down and smirked. "Perhaps if I can see what makes you dance at this party, I'll be able to incorporate that into _my_ music."

"…Um?" Joey didn't have the heart to tell him that he wouldn't be dancing; if he wasn't making flower necklaces and flirting with satyrs for more wine, he'd be playing music himself. He'd been told as a child that he was no good at dancing and he never wanted to feel that humiliation again. "…Well, I'll see you in three days so I can teach ya, okay? How 'bout right here?"

Seto smiled and leaned toward him a little more. "I promise to be here."

"…Right." The blond wondered vaguely if he should tell him that most nymphs would not appreciate him being so close, since he was a male, but he sort of liked the attention. After all, the brunet had given him more attention in a few days than he had from anyone besides his mother and sister in his entire life. "Well, I'll see ya then. 'Bye!"

"Goodbye." Seto watched him go and couldn't help a smile as the dryad paused behind a tree when he thought he couldn't see him and peeked back at him. He almost lifted his hand to wave at him, but thought better of it; despite the random bursts of confidence, despite his complaints to the contrary, the blond was _still_ quite shy. Not as shy as some dryads, but certainly not as outgoing as a water nymph.

He felt badly because it was obvious that the blond yearned for attention from someone and he'd only be in the area for a few more weeks, but perhaps he'd give the dryad some of the attention he needed. Besides…

…He really wanted to see the pretty tree dance.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So can ya make one or not?" Joey asked impatiently, scowling.

Tristan looked up from a sitar and sighed in annoyance. "Joey, have you seen all the other instruments I've got to make for the party? I mean, I know I'm not the only one making them, but seriously, I don't have time to just drop everything and make something for you."

The blond huffed and crossed his arms, scowling, before his face smoothed into a coy smirk. "_Ooooh,_ so ya _don't_ wanna dance with Serenity at the festival?"

The satyr immediately stood up to face him. "Serenity would dance with me if I made you a white pan flute?"

Joey glanced away and hummed, covering his mouth. "Maaaaybe. I could put in a good word for ya. Of course, if ya don't wanna dance with her, I guess I understand!"

Tristan rushed toward him and grabbed his hands, going right in his face. "Joey, buddy, if you can promise me just _one_ dance with your sister, I will make you a white pan flute with my rarest bleached wood."

The blond hummed. "I dunno. Ya said you were busy."

"Joey, _please._ Look, I'll even give you a new pan flute to go with it! Two pan flutes for _one dance!_"

Joey rocked back on his heels and bit his bottom lip. "Weeeeellllll…" He sighed. "Okay."

He couldn't help a grin when he realized he'd gotten away with making the satyr think that _he_ was doing the favor of getting Serenity to dance with him, not the other way around.

Five minutes later he was walking away with a new, beautiful pan flute that had been painstakingly carved out of a sycamore, and just for that, he was going to try to convince Serenity to dance with him three times, if possible. It helped that his sister already liked Tristan, too.

Not that he'd tell Tristan that. It was his only way to get the upper hand.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sat down on the rock at the edge of the river he'd been loafing on a few days prior, fondling the white pan flute the satyr had proudly presented to him. It was quite lovely. Thankfully, Serenity had agreed to dance with Tristan and had quietly informed him that she planned on spending most of the festival with Tristan if she could get away from mother.

While he didn't exactly relish the idea of his little sister having sex with _anyone,_ least of all his best friend, he figured that Tristan would take care of her. She deserved one night away from their mother to relax and ignore the rules they'd always been taught and have some fun with 'dangerous satyrs.'

He wondered if he might have some fun this year. Last year he'd been passed over for other nymphs, but perhaps there would be other satyrs interested in him. Maybe this year they'd be looking for something different and would be attracted to him.

Joey smiled. Even if not a single satyr showed interest in him, he wouldn't be upset. Seto would pay attention to him. After all, the nix thought that he was interesting. Maybe if they managed to find a place alone, he'd even show the brunet why he didn't dance!

This was going to be a good festival. Sure, he'd have to go back to making wreaths and streamers the next day, but for today, he'd get to spend the day with Seto and teach him how to play the pan flute.

Joey looked up at the sun and hummed quietly. Seto was running a little late. He figured that maybe he didn't know how to read the sun as well as a dryad.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It was nearing late afternoon. Even the most inept nymphs could tell that much. Joey hugged his knees to his chest tighter. He'd tried to pass the time playing his new pan flute—had even tried playing the white pan flute and seeing how different it was—but he'd eventually tired of that. He'd gathered some flowers to make some simple wreaths, too, but after the pile beside him had grown to fifteen wreaths that grew more intricate as the day went on, he'd become tired of that, too.

Joey sighed and stood, dusting himself off, then crossed his arms over his chest. _'I guess_ _I could go find him. At least then I'll know why he didn't come today.'_ He smiled. _'Yeah. Maybe he just got carried away playin' his silly violin!'_

Leaving the pan flutes and wreaths beside the river, he began walking upstream. He was careful to hide behind trees as he moved; after being neglected for several weeks because of the upcoming celebration, some of the satyrs might attack him. Then again, perhaps they were spending their time not making instruments and food to work on their appearances. Every nymph liked a sexy satyr.

Joey smiled as he heard the brunet's violin. _'So the idiot __**did**__ get caught up with his violin. Well, at least I can tease him about forgettin' about me—'_

His heart skipped a beat as he heard giggling over the music. He bit his bottom lip nervously, frozen in place. He didn't want to go investigate any further, because somehow he just knew he'd be hurt. But on the other hand, he knew he was too curious to just go and leave it at that.

The blond stayed where he was a few minutes longer, then began edging closer to the noise.

When he peeked out from behind a tree at the river, he felt his heart shatter. Three nymphs that usually went out of their ways to make his life miserable (or more disheartening than it already was as a male dryad surrounded by women) were strewn around the brunet on his stupid rock in the middle of the river. One even had her breasts pressed up against him as she batted her eyelashes at him.

"Oh, Seto, you play so wonderfully. Would you mind if we kept coming to listen to you play?"

"Yes, your music is just so calming."

Joey leaned back around the tree, not wanting to see anymore and _especially_ not wanting any of them to see him. He slid down the trunk of the tree and sat down, clenching his hands into tight fists as the brunet answered.

"If you find me, I suppose I can't stop you, but I'm usually at different areas of the river each day."

Not a yes. Not a no. Just acceptance.

"Oh, are you going to the party? Will we see you there?"

A coy giggle. "Will we get to dance with you, Seto?"

"Now, I'm not saying yes, but… we'll just have to see, won't we?"

Joey looked down at the ground, biting his bottom lip as he felt tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. So much for being special. Seto was friendly with everyone. He wasn't particularly interesting or exciting. He just happened to be someone who stayed near the river, so he saw Seto more.

Getting to his feet, he scrubbed at his eyes and sniffed, then began back home.

He had more wreaths and streamers to weave.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Serenity? Would you—" Tristan began, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Serenity beamed up at him. "—Like to dance? Why, yes, Tristan, I'd love to. Play something fun, Joey! 'Bye, Mom!"

The two nymphs watched her grab the satyr's hand and drag him into the throng of dancing people, stunned. "…I… Just… what?"

"…Your sister is exhibiting signs that she is no longer a child," the older nymph stated, pursing her lips. "I'm not sure I like that."

Joey smiled weakly. "Aw, Ma, look at the bright side. Ya still got me."

The water nymph turned to look at him sharply, heart aching when she remembered each festival in the past where her son had sat and watched everyone else have fun and played his pan flute to suit everyone else. He'd flirted, yes, and satyrs had flirted back—hell, other dryads had flirted with him after a few goblets of wine—but he never really found someone that was… just for him.

He always got tipsy, kissed her on the cheek, and left with no one in particular. She didn't know if he met up with anyone afterward. She just knew that she'd eventually find him back home in a few days as if he'd never left. When she asked if he had fun, he'd shrug and smile a mysterious little smile that usually meant that he didn't want to disappoint her.

And it had all started when some stupid busybody (and quite drunk) Naiad had snapped at him that he clearly didn't know how to dance and should just sit out and let the more musically-inclined nymphs dance and flirt. She would never forgive that other nymph for hurting her baby as long as she lived.

Joey blinked as he was yanked into a hug, frowning. "Ma? Ma, everyone's lookin' at me. Ma, you're embarrassin' me!"

She leaned back and stroked his hair out of his eyes, smiling sadly. "Alright. I'll go gossip with all of the other old biddies then."

"Ma, you're not old," the blond complained, but she merely smiled again and wandered over to spend time with nymphs her own age—not old enough to be uninterested in sex, but not young enough that they would be the first pick of all the satyrs.

Joey frowned, brows furrowing together, then sighed looked down at his lap. After a moment, he lifted his pan flute to begin playing a jaunty little tune. The other instrumentalists took his lead and began playing a more upbeat tempo. The couples dancing replied in kind, dancing faster and harder and smiling more.

Someone sat down next to him. He didn't pay attention to who it was, because he was certain that they were more interested in his music or the goblet of wine he'd had yet to touch. If the person tried to touch his wine, he's smack them. Hard.

"Is there any chance I can pull you away from your pan flute so that we could dance?"

The startled, off-tune shriek of his pan flute as the blond jumped was drowned out by the other instruments.

Joey looked up, blushing a little, and frowned when he saw the brunet looking down at him with a gentle smile. He looked down at his lap again, then shook his head. "No."

Seto frowned. "Not even a small chance?"

The blond didn't look up at him. "No." He felt a hand on his cheek and closed his eyes tightly. "Please go away."

"If this is about not making it to learn how to play the pan flute," the nix began.

"Oh, go bother Enria or Lenae or Mio," Joey snapped angrily. "Ya didn't seem t' mind when they were pressin' up against ya and flirtin' with ya."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "So that _was_ you they saw."

"Well if they saw me and it ruined your little pre-party flirting, _I'm sorry,_" Joey growled, standing up. "Just leave me alone, oka—"

The brunet stood as well, saying, "If you'd like to discuss it like adults—"

"I don't wanna discuss _anything_ with you, ya patronizing _bastard!_" the dryad replied, not caring if it made him sound childish or immature. He slapped the brunet across the face for good measure, just to get the point across that he didn't want to see him.

Seto snarled and grabbed his wrist, pale cheek already beginning to bruise. "Just what the hell do you think you're—"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." An older centaur, tasked with making sure no fights broke out because of all of the wine and high spirits, approached them, a calm smile on his face. "How are you this fine day?"

Joey yanked his hand back and looked down at his feet in embarrassment. "…'m okay."

"Might I suggest partaking in these lovely desserts that my friend brought?" he asked, holding out a silver tray of fruit-filled pastries. "He'll be hurt if you don't take at least one."

Seto opened his mouth to snap that it was really none of his business, but then the centaur gave him a look that clearly stated it was, and if they were going to fight, it wouldn't be at the party. It would ruin the mood and everyone else was having such fun.

Joey reached out for an apple tart and took a bite, the pastry flaky and crumbly in all the right ways. He looked up at the centaur and smiled despite the angry tears in his eyes. "These are really good." He looked down at the plate. "Can I try a fig tart, too?"

"Try as many as you like," the centaur replied, smiling.

"Oh, I just want this fig one, and maybe another apple. Thanks." He took two more tarts and sat back down, finally taking a sip of his wine.

The centaur stayed a few moments longer to make sure they wouldn't get physical again, then wandered off to go flirt with the older nymphs.

Seto hissed and looked down at the blond, then turned and stalked away.

Joey picked at his tarts and sighed, frowning, then took a large gulp of wine. He never really had fun at these festivals. He was glad that Serenity was enjoying herself. He was sure his mother would ask what happened with Seto that a centaur had had to intervene. He wasn't looking forward to telling her that he'd let himself think he was special to someone and had fooled himself. She'd look at him like her heart was breaking and he couldn't stand that.

Well, at least the food and wine was good. It eased the pain a tiny bit. All the tarts and wine in the world wouldn't make the pain go away, but having it eased…

He jumped as he was suddenly pulled up against someone and blinked. "Duke?"

"Saw your sister dancing with Tristan and got a little jealous. How are you doing?" the black-haired satyr asked, pulling him onto his furry lap. He smirked. "That guy bothering you? I'll protect you."

"…That's not necessary," Joey deadpanned, pushing one of his grabby hands away. "I'm fine. Go bother someone else please."

Duke cooed. "But you're already on my lap, Joey. Can't you stay there for a few minutes more?"

"My cup's dry," the blond complained. He peered up at the satyr coyly. "If ya go get me more wine, maybe I'll even give ya a kiss."

The satyr stood abruptly and blushed when the blond fell to the ground with a yelp. "…Sorry."

"Ooooowwww!" Joey rubbed his rump and groaned. "That hurt." He scowled and glared up at him. "Take your sex drive and stuff it, asshole."

"…Yeah, I got a bit too excited…" Duke sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Think I'll have a chance with the older ladies, then?"

"_My mom is an older lady,_" the blond hissed.

The satyr raised an eyebrow. "Think she'd go for me?"

"YOU'RE GROSS GO AWAY."

Duke laughed and ruffled his hair before trotting off to try and find someone else that might like to indulge in some carnal pleasures with him.

Joey sincerely hoped that Duke didn't proposition his mother. That would make his entire life more awkward. Actually, if Duke flirted with his mother, he'd find him later and punch him, punishment for spending time with satyrs be damned.

Joey looked into his empty goblet sadly. Duke could have at least gotten him more wine before he went to go flirt elsewhere.

He frowned as another goblet was held out in front of him and looked up. "Tch. You again."

Seto raised an eyebrow, then sat down beside him and offered him the goblet of wine. "You said you'd finished yours, right?"

Joey jerked his head away petulantly. "Maybe." He felt the empty cup being pulled out of his hand and replaced with the full one and blushed. "…Thanks."

The nix took a sip of his own wine. "Good wine. Best I've had in years."

"We're proud of our wine here," the blond replied shortly. He took a sip of the rich red drink and sighed, frowning. "If you're tryin' t' get me t' dance, it's not gonna happen. I haven't danced in years and I'm not gonna start now."

Seto turned to look at him and frowned. "Why not?" When the blond only stared down at his lap, he instead asked, "I could do nothing to convince you to dance?"

"I play instruments. I leave the dancin' t' people who are actually good at it," Joey whispered, tracing the tip of his finger around the rim of the goblet.

"That's a shame. You look like you'd be a wonderful dancer—"

The blond huffed and snarled, "Well, I'm not, so go find some other dryad t' dance for ya, okay?"

Seto raised an eyebrow, then hummed quietly. "I see."

"Yeah, so stop pesterin' me about it." Joey took another sip of his wine.

The nix tilted his head thoughtfully, then nodded slightly and stood, dusting himself off. "I'll need more wine then."

The blond blinked and watched him go, brows furrowing together as he disappeared in the sea of dancing people. "Um. Okay." He began sipping his wine again. "Jeez. How did I not see how weird he is before?" He hummed thoughtfully. "I do these things t' myself."

A few minutes later, his cup was empty again. He sighed. "Yep. Do these things t' myself."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, Seto!"

Seto flinched in surprise, then turned, lips instinctively curving into a smile; he knew he could manipulate people better that way. "Yes?"

One of the nymphs that had taken to him recently—Linae, Enria, or Mio; one of the three—batted her long lashes up at him. "Oh, Seto, I've been looking all over for you. And I heard that that stupid dryad hit you for no reason!"

The brunet tilted his head. "Is that so?"

"Well of course the other nymphs saw you," she simpered. "And word has gotten around. I suppose that's alright, though, because it made all of the nastier satyrs want to have a go at him. You know, the ones that get so rough during sex?"

"…I have no idea what you're talking about," Seto replied, not trying to be short with her but disgusted by the way she was speaking about a fellow nymph.

"Oh, of course you don't!" She smiled brightly. "Well, there are some satyrs that like to get really rough in bed, especially if the person they're sleeping with fights back." She peeked over in the blond's direction in what she probably thought was a sneaky manner. "Some of the rougher satyrs want to have a go at him and put him in his place. I have to admit, it sounds really sexy—the idea of them forcing him to submit. I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that!"

The brunet blinked at her slowly. "I… still don't understand."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "They're going to smack him and fuck him and if I act sweet or mean enough, they'll let me in too!" She giggled quietly as his face suddenly showed enlightenment. "Yeah, I think he'd be really good with his mouth!"

Seto smiled a little, unsure of how he was supposed to respond. "I… see. Do you think Joey would like that?"

"Oh, he's usually such a loner anyway, I'm sure he'd love the attention," she laughed. "Did you know that every year he just gets drunk and leaves to cry? Everyone used to think that he'd meet someone afterward, but some of us followed him one year, and he just went to the river and sobbed like a baby!"

The brunet's smile faded. "And… no one thought to ask him why or comfort him?"

"Well, everyone knows why." She rolled her eyes again. "He's a freak. The water nymphs don't want anything to do with him because he's a boy and the wood nymphs don't want anything to do with him because he's raised by a water nymph! No one really wants him except the satyrs, and the satyrs he's friendly with steer the mean ones away!" She frowned, sighing quietly. "It's a shame, really. I think he'd be much more likeable after a good round of sex. Make him less uptight."

"I… see," Seto replied slowly. He saw the blond dryad accept a goblet of wine from a brown-haired satyr and smile at him coyly. He winked and whispered into the satyr's ear, clearly flirting with him, then leaned over to place his hand on the brunet's furry thigh.

The satyr grabbed his hips and slammed him up against a tree. Seto watched the dryad wrap his legs around the satyr's waist and felt his blood boil angrily as they shared a sloppy kiss, the cup of wine in his hand tipping and spilling on the grass. Instead of charging up and starting a fight, because the centaur that had stopped him the first time was hovering nearby, he hissed furiously and stomped over to grab his violin.

Once he began playing, it was as if an even grander spell had been cast over the party. Everyone that wasn't dancing began to sway, then dance along to the song he played, even the shyer dryads and older nymphs. He watched the brown-haired satyr break the kiss and mutter breathlessly, saw the blond shake his head no and put his feet back on the ground.

The satyr said some angry words, slamming his hands on either side of the blond's head. Joey, confused but insulted, snarled something back. When the satyr lifted his hand to hit him, the centaur immediately intervened, quickly dragging him away from the party to cool off.

The broken, confused, and disappointed expression on the blond's face afterward almost made him sorry that he'd begun to play, especially when he sat back down, drained the rest of his wine, and accepted the cup the centaur offered on his way back.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto approached the blond carefully. He'd seen other rather unsavory-looking satyrs flirt with him and be dragged away after he refused to dance with them, and he didn't want the centaur that had played his protector to lose his temper and kick him away.

Joey looked up at the centaur with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry I'm makin' ya go through all this trouble, Bane. You're here for a party and all you've been doin' is protectin' me."

Bane smiled and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Joey. Part of the reason centaurs are invited is so they can stop fights before they can really start."

"'m still sorry. I think I almost prefer when I got no attention. I don't know why all these jerks just started comin' up t' me. It's not like I've changed."

The centaur hummed. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Joey, perhaps you should stop drinking for a while. It's making you teary."

"I'll think about it. It's really the only thing gettin' me by right now," he muttered, looking down at his feet.

"Well, eat something then. You nymphs are so lightweight and you forget to eat when you party."

"Okay." He bit his bottom lip, thinking he might just be finished with the party entirely. Usually he'd stay a couple of days, but now he just didn't trust the satyrs enough to sleep and he really felt as if he had enjoyed the parties he'd been ignored at more than this time when they kept coming on to him.

Seto held up a gyro as the centaur and dryad finally took notice of him. "I thought you… might be hungry?"

"Oh, um—" Joey blushed and bit his bottom lip as his stomach growled.

The centaur, sensing no ill-will this time, nodded and went to go check on a group of rather rowdy satyrs and the nymphs egging them on.

Joey hesitantly took the sandwich and took a bite, vaguely noting that it tasted just as delicious as everything else at the party, then swallowed and looked up at the brunet a tad nervously. "…Um…?"

"If you'd like more wine, I can go get some," Seto offered after a moment.

"…Okay," the blond answered quietly. He sat down and watched the nix disappear for a few minutes before returning with two more big goblets of wine. He accepted one and took a sip, then looked back up at him. "I'm leavin' soon."

Seto frowned. "Not because of me, I hope. I thought the gyros were delicious."

Joey blinked at him. "The… the whats?"

"The gyros. You're eating one right now, are you not?"

The blond couldn't help his lips curving up into a smile. "Seto, they're pronounced 'yeer-ohs.'"

"Yeeroh? But it's spelled—"

"It's _pronounced_ 'yeer-oh.'"

Seto stared at him for a moment, then scowled. "That's _stupid._"

"You're the one callin' 'em jai-rohs. You're silly." The blond giggled a little. "If you're visitin' somewhere, ya shouldn't call their words stupid just 'cause ya can't pronounce 'em right."

"…I suppose that's true."

"And no, I'm not leavin' 'cause ya gave me a bad gyro," the dryad continued, still smiling. "I'm leavin' 'cause I'm not enjoying myself and I'm kinda drunk. Don't want any of the satyrs takin' advantage of me as I sleep. I thought I'd just go say bye t' my mom and leave."

"Oh." Seto remembered the way the other nymph had talked about him, how the blond had left and cried, then smiled at him. "Perhaps I can come with you. I'm not fond of crowds, and I think I need to get away from them for a while."

"Oh. Um, well, I guess that's okay. Can't stop ya."

Seto stood and offered him his hand to help him up. He watched Joey drain the rest of his wine and drop the goblet into the large pile he'd accumulated, then began following him toward the group of older nymphs that were finally getting attention from older satyrs and even a few centaurs. He smiled, shared a few short words where necessary, and watched as the blond kicked a familiar black satyr in the shins before he followed him away from the party.

"…What was that all about?"

"I don't want Duke sleepin' with my mother," Joey replied shortly.

.-.-.-.-.-.

_**FWEEET**_

Seto cringed, but the sting of failure was soothed when the blond only giggled and reached out to take the white pan flute from his hands. "Sorry."

"'s okay. Took me a while t' learn this too." Joey took the flute between his lips and blew a few notes, then giggled and looked up at him again. "You'll get it eventually."

The nix smiled a little as the blond hummed to himself and grabbed one of the flowered wreaths he'd made earlier in the week to begin to fussing with it. "You're still a little tipsy, aren't you?"

"Psh, I'm not tispy!"

"…Tipsy?"

"'s what I said!"

Seto leaned toward him and cupped his cheek, smiling when the dryad purred and leaned into his hand. "What are you thinking about?"

"Thinkin' about how mad Linae's gotta be that you're here with me and not with her," the blond replied happily. He turned his head to kiss the nix's palm. "Mm. 'm almost sorry that I didn't take any of those satyrs up on their offers. It's been a while since I've had sex, and you're no help."

Seto blinked in surprise. "You've… had sex?"

Joey snorted and leaned back, glaring at him in offense. "'course 've had sex."

"Oh. The others led me to believe…"

"'course they did. They're water nymphs." The blond crossed his arms and sighed angrily.

Seto huffed, just as offended. "Hey, I'm a creature of the water, too."

"Yeah. And you're just as much of a tease," the blond muttered petulantly.

The nix huffed and placed his fingertip against the smaller nymph's lips. "I'm really not."

Joey pursed his lips, giving the brunet's finger a kiss, then giggled as the nix yanked his hand back.

"When have you had sex? You don't seem like the outgoing type," Seto muttered, picking the pan flute up and blowing on it again. He flinched when the sound was shrill again. "Ugh."

The blond huffed, then sighed and reached over to better position his hands. "Satyrs go after water nymphs first at these parties because they can't have sex with them any other time. Too hard t' catch 'cause when they grab for 'em, they disappear in a splash and flow away."

"So the parties are an excuse for the water nymphs to allow the satyrs to have sex with them," the brunet mused, proud when the sound the pan flute made was finally a nice toot instead of shrill, angry whistle.

"Yeah…" Joey shrugged. "It's easier t' catch a wood nymph, because we change into trees or bushes, so they can wait us out. They don't like it when we don't want it, though, so they just invite us t' orgies, so we're more comfortable because there are other dryads there… The most time I've spent with dryads is when we're all over each other."

Seto hummed. "And how does that work? I've never been in an orgy. Sounds complicated."

"We kiss each other and strip each other while the satyrs watch, touch ourselves a little t' get 'em all riled up, then let the satyrs join in. They act mean and selfish, but they're really givin' lovers. They're proud of bein' able t' please nymphs, so they really go outta their ways t' make us feel good."

_**FWEEEEET!**_

"You're terrible," Joey stated, laughing a little.

Seto hissed. "Damn, I thought I had it."

"Well, at least you're gettin' better." Joey took the pan flute from his hands to test it again. "Dang. My buzz is goin'. You should go get me more wine."

"I was under the impression that the party lasts for several days. We can go back later," the brunet replied. He reached out to brush the dryad's hair out of his eyes, smiling a little.

Joey blushed lightly and glanced away. "Okay."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto blinked as the blond placed a wreath of flowers over his head. "What's this for?"

"Thought ya needed a little somethin'," Joey teased, smiling, then giggled and turned to dash for the party.

Seto thought about taking it off, then smiled and shook his head, following him at a more sedate pace. "Well, thank you for the little something."

"You're welco—AGH DUKE WHAT DID I TELL YOU I EVEN KICKED YOU IN THE SHINS AND oh, sorry, you're not my ma. Carry on."

Seto smiled awkwardly as he walked past the black satyr and the older nymph he was coupling with. "Sorry."

"Shouldn't have let him lose his buzz," the nymph replied. "Dryads are mellower when they're drunk."

"I think it could just be that it's me," Duke muttered.

Seto rolled his eyes as he finally caught up to the blond and grabbed his hand. "You're ruining other people's good times."

"Psh, it's just Duke," Joey replied, shrugging. He hummed as he saw a centaur carrying a tray full of goblets of wine and dragged the brunet over to it. "Are those for certain people, or can I snag a couple off of ya?"

The centaur smiled. "I can't say no to a pretty face like yours."

Seto blinked as the centaur bent down a little. Joey giggled and stepped forward to smack a big, wet kiss on his cheek. The centaur grinned and handed him two goblets before walking away. "…Am I supposed to be paying the centaurs something? Is that why they all looked at me strangely when I just took things?"

Joey turned to look up at him and grinned. "They look at ya strangely 'cause they can't tell what sort of nymph ya are. Nah, they don't expect it from every nymph, but when they get it, they're happy. I wasn't kissin' Bane, and he was still protectin' me!"

"…I don't get your culture at all…"

"That's okay. Neither do humans," the blond replied, handing him one of the goblets, then took a sip from his own. "Mmm… Good wine."

Seto saw Linae and Enria approaching and blanched. He hadn't really liked them (Mio was okay, because she didn't seem as cruel as they were and was just following them around), but they'd already decided that he was cute and worth pursuing. "Er… Joey, I… Let's move."

Joey yelped as the brunet grabbed his shoulder and began steering him away. "Hey! I was gonna grab somethin' t' eat!" He looked up at him and scowled. "Don't make me slap your high-and-mighty stupid face again!"

"Help me."

"Or else I'll hafta go all Mother Nature on your—Huh?"

Seto glanced over at the two nymphs and couldn't help an anxious groan as they continued to pursue him. "Two of those nymphs that you found me with—they're following us. I don't want to dance with either of them and one of them hinted she wouldn't mind having sex with me. Except the way she hinted it wasn't really hinting so much as it was telling me that we were going to have sex at this party."

Joey blinked up at him. "And ya want me t' help ya?"

"…If you would, please."

Seto jerked slightly as the blond stopped moving and turned to face him, hoping his desperate expression would make him move. Instead, the blond dropped his wine, dug his fingers into his hair, and dragged him down for the longest, sloppiest, wettest kiss he'd ever received.

When the blond finally released him and took the goblet he was still holding in place of his own fallen cup, he turned to look at the two nymphs. One looked angry, and stomped away in a rage, latching onto the nearest satyr. The other appeared thoughtfully, then smiled at him coyly.

Joey turned to snarl at her. "_I will not share him for a threesome with you!_"

She blushed a little as a few other nymphs and satyrs turned to look at her and scampered away in embarrassment.

The blond yelped as the nix slid his arms around his waist and pulled him up against his hard body. "Ah!"

"Joey," Seto purred, licking some wine from his lips that had been left from the kiss. "That was _by far_ the best kiss I have ever received."

Joey squeaked as the wine he held sloshed out of his cup and onto his clothes, blushing as the brunet began to paw at him. "Seto, what are you—Eek!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling sticky and sore. "Nn… Damn. I missed the end of the party."

"Well, the end of _that_ party. I think our party was excellent," Seto replied, rolling onto his side. He reached over to trace his fingertips over the blond's chest and hummed quietly. "That was amazing, Joey."

The dryad smiled sweetly. "Yeah. It was."

Seto leaned over to kiss his neck and jaw. "I'm disappointed I didn't get to see you dance, though."

Joey hummed and shrugged noncommittally. "I told ya I wasn't gonna dance. Your fault for gettin' your hopes up." He rolled on top of the brunet and cooed, kissing him lightly. "Got a question for ya."

Seto leaned up to kiss him back a few times, smiling. "Ask away, my lovely dryad."

"When are ya leavin'?"

Seto blinked, frowning. "Wha-?"

"You're leavin'. I know ya are. I'm not so stupid that I'd assume you were stickin' around for me. So when are ya leavin'?"

The brunet glanced away for few minutes, sighing quietly. "…I was thinking, maybe a week."

"I see." And he did. He knew that nixes were river spirits and if a river spirit was traveling, it didn't usually settle down until it reached its home river. Seto was just passing through. "Well, you're gonna hafta practice a lot more if ya wanna play the pan flute back home."

Seto blinked at him in surprise, then began to laugh at the absurdity of it. He decided to counter it with absurdity of his own. "I'll come back, Joey. On my way home, I'll visit you again, and if I get you to dance then, you have to come home with me."

Joey laughed as well. "And if I don't dance, ya hafta stay with me. We can go visit your home, but you're stickin' with me down here!"

The brunet leaned up to kiss him again and rolled on top of him, settled between his spread legs. "Mm. Fine. But I'll get you to dance."

"Riiight, like ya got me t' dance this time?" the dryad teased, hooking his legs around the nix's waist. He arched his hips up and heaved a breathy moan. "Ooh-!"

Seto dug his hands into his hair and kissed him roughly, then moved his mouth to his ear and nibbled on the lobe. "Mm. I'll get you to dance next time."

"If ya say so!" the blond giggled, then squealed as the nix dug his fingers into his side. "No Seto ya know I'm ticklish there eeee!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

When Joey returned home after Seto's last week, he limped into his mother's room to check in with her. "Hey Ma, I'm ba—BANE." He stared at the centaur that returned his gaze evenly. "…With _my ma?_"

"She's a very attractive lady."

"She's _my mother!_" Joey roared.

"She is also a nymph."

The blond glared at him even as her mother walked in from the river, soaking wet. She blinked, then smiled brightly, clasping her hands together. "Joey, I saw you leave the party with that handsome young man and you never came back! Did you have fun? Oh, Linae was fit to be tied!"

Joey grinned back at her. "Yeah, it was great! And when we weren't havin' sex I was tryin' t' teach him how to play the pan flute! He was okay by the time he left, but before that, _whoa, _he was bad!"

Her smile began to fade. "Oh… He left?"

"Yeah. He's a river nymph and he'd travelin'. He said he'd be back, though. Said if he made me dance when he did, I'd hafta go and live with him. But he won't get me t' dance, so he'll hafta stay here with me!" he laughed, scratching the back of his head.

She blinked. "How long is he going to be gone? When is he coming back?"

"Um… Well, I dunno. But he'll be back." Joey began to feel the slightest niggle of doubt, but he quashed it firmly. "He wouldn't lie t' me."

Bane opened his mouth, but the female nymph shot him such a dirty look to keep him from bursting her little boy's bubble that he covered his would-be statement with an awkward cough.

Joey looked at him in concern. "Ya okay? Sometimes people get chills in caves with water runnin' through it. I can get ya a blanket."

"That's quite alright. Just morning cough."

The blond blinked, quietly echoing, "Morning cough?"

"…It's a centaur thing," the man fibbed.

"Oh! Okay! Well, I gotta go rub this in Linae and Enria's faces, so I'll see ya later!" He paused. "…Or maybe I won't. If I hear you and Ma goin' at it again I'll probably just go pester Tristan."

"If you do that, tell Serenity to come home soon. I last saw her at the party with Tristan and then I haven't seen her for days. If you can't get her to be finished and come home, at least tell her to visit so I know she's okay."

"Sure, Ma."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stared up at the red leaves above him, frowning a little. _'You're not comin' back, are you, Seto?'_

Thirteen years he'd watched the leaves turn from green to yellow to red. Thirteen years he'd watched the leaves fall and cover the ground. Thirteen years he'd waited for the brunet to pass through again.

He hadn't. He was trying to be patient, but it was hard to be when he remembered their love-making and the promise he'd made. He wanted Seto to come back and try to get him to dance, so they could be together again. Even if he lost, he wouldn't mind leaving as long as they were together again.

…Not that he _would_ lose. Even if he tried to dance, he'd probably fail miserably. He'd look like such a fool trying to dance that Seto would be disgusted and wouldn't want him anymore.

Joey sat up and looked at the water, frowning and wishing that the brunet would appear on the rock in the middle of it. The festival celebrating the end of harvest would begin soon, but now a younger generation was doing the decorations and other preparations. He almost wished he could preoccupy himself with making wreaths and banners.

"…I don't even know _how_ t' dance," Joey muttered, frowning, and stood up. He dusted himself off even as he stared at the rock in the middle of the river. He remembered the music the brunet had played and blushed a little. He missed him, and on the loneliest nights, he remembered the haunting melody of the string instrument.

Letting his eyes drift shut, he began humming the tune, pretending that the brunet was sitting there and playing for him. He wondered how someone would dance to that sort of music and began to sway in time to his hum. After a few minutes, he turned, lifting one of his feet and placing it down to the side, swinging his hips to the burst of energy that would have been the bow bouncing back and forth on the violin strings.

It was almost as if he could hear the music. He imagined Seto watching him as he played, eyes so intense and blue that he felt naked when the brunet watched him. He wondered what it would be like to dance with another person—especially with Seto, who boasted that he could dance as well as he could play.

He slowed a little as his memory of the song came to an end, turning and swinging his hips a few more times. He tried to remember the way Seto's lips felt on his skin and nibbled his bottom lip gently.

Then he heard clapping.

Joey yelped and jumped to face the river again, blushing brightly when he was arrested by a sharp, familiar blue gaze. "Seto-!"

Seto stood, leaving his violin on the rock in the middle of the river as he walked across the water and came to a stop in front of him. "Joey."

The dryad blushed a little more and looked up at him, trying to remember whether he'd always had to look up at the brunet this much or if the nix had gotten taller and he'd gotten smaller while he'd been away. He suddenly realized that when he'd closed his eyes, he wasn't hearing the memory of the brunet's music; he'd actually begun to play after figuring out where he was in the song by his hum.

"…It's been a long time," he whispered after a moment.

Seto leaned down to lean his forehead against the blond's. "It has. I had some trouble in Spain."

"…S-Spain?"

"I'll take you there someday," the nix replied, smiling. "After all, I've made you dance, so you have to go home with me."

Joey jerked back, eyes wide, then huffed petulantly. "You didn't make me dance! I was dancin' before ya even got here!"

Seto continued to smile and reached out to wrap his arms around him. "But you were dancing to my music. And if I'm not mistaken, you were dancing to the memory of me playing."

The dryad struggled a moment, then gave into his own want to be held and snuggled up against him. "Still. It wasn't you. So ya don't win."

"I want to kiss you." He watched the blond's cheeks heat again and kissed him gently at first, gradually growing rougher as his hunger for the dryad he'd missed for so long began to burn hotter.

Joey gasped as he broke the kiss, drool trailing from the corner of his mouth as the nix began attacking his throat. "Oh—Oh Seto—"

Seto made a dark red bruise on his neck before moving up to nip and suckle his earlobe. "You danced to my music. I made you dance. You're coming home with me."

"Nn…!" The blond whimpered quietly. "But—But ya weren't even—"

"I was playing at the end. And if I may say so…" He leaned back and looked at the blond warmly. "You're a beautiful tree, Joey. And you're even more beautiful when you dance."

Joey bit his bottom lip, startled, then laughed quietly, feeling the tiniest bit hysterical that he'd refused to dance for decades and here this nix was telling him that he was a beautiful dancer. "Oh, Seto. I missed ya so much." He nuzzled his neck. "I'll go with ya, but we hafta come back and visit my ma and my sister." He looked up at him, tears forming in his eyes from genuine happiness. "'sides," he joked weakly. "Ya probably don't have wine as good as ours."

"Well, I'll admit that your wine is far superior to ours, but our beer is the best."

The dryad blinked. "B… beer?"

"If you think wine gives you the best buzz, I know a lot of liquors and beers that will blow your mind," Seto whispered, nipping his bottom lip lightly.

Joey smiled. "And I can show off my pan flute skills. 'cause let's be honest. Ya probably didn't get any better while ya were gone."

"I'm back to that aggravating whistling noise," the nix admitted with a sigh.

"Good. Then people will like me at your home."

Seto chuckled. "Joey, they'd like you even if you were only a pretty face. And you have _quite_ a pretty face."

The dryad blushed a little. "Oh, shut up. Anyway, if I'm leavin' with ya, ya gotta come meet my mom and sister. They were really upset they couldn't meet ya last time. Oh! And can we leave after the festival again? If I'm not gonna get wine again for a while—"

"How about we come back every three years for the festival after this one ends?" Seto suggested. The way the blond lit up at the suggestion and kissed him, he realized it had been the exact right thing to say.

Seto held him tightly and nipped his neck. "Joey, will you dance with me at the festival?" When the dryad hesitated, he whispered, "If not at the festival, will you continue to dance just for me?"

Joey looked up at him, worrying his bottom lip, then smiled. "I'll dance just for you. And maybe… maybe, if ya get me tipsy enough, I'll let ya convince me t' dance at the festival."

Seto ran his thumb over the blond's lips and purred, "I'll be sure to keep plying you with wine then."

The blond giggled and flicked his tongue out to lick his fingers. "Could ply me with your tongue if ya want, too. I am not adverse t' bribery, especially of the sexual sort."

"I did pick up some new tricks while I was gone that I could show you," the nix began thoughtfully.

Joey latched onto his neck with his teeth and mewled. "You could show me before we go t' see my family—"

Set chuckled and teased, "I'd rather keep them a secret until I want you to dance."

The blond began to pout, but then he smiled coyly. "I learned some new things from my orgies, too!"

"Then I suggest you keep those things secret until you want something, too. I'm easily manipulated for the right price." Seto kissed his cheek and traced his fingers down the blond's side.

"AGH!"

"Still ticklish there, I see!"

"Seto stop it we've been separated for thirteen years stop ticklin' meeeeeee!" Joey gasped and turned to flee, unwilling to just turn tree because Seto could wait him out and tickle him some more. Instead, he was tugged back up against the brunet's chest. "Uhn!"

Seto kissed his shoulder gently. "I missed you, Joey."

Joey shrugged his shoulder up a little, trying to get him to kiss it more, then leaned his head back over his shoulder and turned to kiss his cheek. "I missed ya too, Seto." He leaned back against his chest and sighed, smiling and feeling that he finally belonged somewhere.

Seto held him tighter, somehow knowing that Joey was completely happy with him and enjoying that the blond was so comfortable with leaving as long as it was by his side. He drew the blond back around to face him, smiled, and kissed him.


	55. Dragon-Born

Author's Note: I started this story and I… I just don't know where I was going with it. OTL What do you guys think?

* * *

Dragon-Born

"We have a problem."

Joey looked up from the kit he was bottle-feeding and frowned at the anxious look he was being given by his friend. "What is it? I thought it was just a routine round-up. –God, Yug', what happened t' your arm!"

"It's just a burn. Ishizu put a salve on it already," the smaller boy answered quickly, looking down at his gauze-wrapped arm and hand. He looked up at the blond and made a small noise that he usually only made when he was stressed. "But I'm serious, Joey. You know how that large group of nomads was found twenty or twenty-five years ago?"

The taller boy nodded slowly. "Yeah. The ones that missed technology past fire and spears, right?"

"Yes, that one," Yugi sighed. "You remember how after they were studied they were immediately taken into captivity for their own safety?" When the blond nodded again, he continued, "It was because at the beginning of every year, they'd go to the dragon graveyard and feast on the meat from a recently deceased dragon, right? They believed that the magic from dragon flesh and blood would give them good luck for the coming year."

Joey frowned. "What's your point, Yugi? What's the problem? Ya find another group of people like that?"

The smaller boy sighed and shook his head. "No. You remember that phenomenon we studied briefly about those people? About how if a child was conceived within a month after the feast, the baby was Dragon-Born?" He took a deep breath. "And how, when the baby was Dragon-Born, the people would leave them for the dragons to take care of because they believed that the children were chosen by the gods to be sacrifices to the kin of the dragons they'd consumed."

The older boy gagged a little. "Oh gods…!"

He swallowed as he saw the blond's eyes widen in horror. "Yes, well, we don't know about any of the other children that were Dragon-Born, but… we found one that had been adopted by some of the dragons. –We found one when we went to round up that last group of Blue-Eyes White Dragons. I guess he was one of the reasons why the dragons tried so hard not to be caught."

"…So… so the problem is, what to do with him, then?" Joey asked quietly, looking down at the pitch black kit gazing up at him adoringly. "…What sort of behavior has he exhibited since ya brought them in, Yug'?"

Yugi shrugged awkwardly. "He walks upright, but he just wanders around and investigates the pen we put them in like any other dragon would. He shows interest in the humans that come into the pen, I think mostly because he realizes that he looks more like us than he looks like a dragon, but he shies away and hides near any of the dragons when we try to approach him. I think he knows we're trying to… to 'separate him from the herd.'"

Joey frowned and bounced the little kit in his arms. "I see… And you're tellin' me this because ya think _I_ can do somethin' about it?"

"Maybe when he sees that you care for Kai, he'll trust you," the smaller boy suggested helplessly. "Do you mind?"

The blond sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he pulled the empty bottle away from the mewling baby dragon. "I suppose. When were they last fed?"

"Just a few hours ago. They should be relatively reserved for at least a couple of days," Yugi replied instantly. "So you'll see him?"

"I'll _try._" Joey pursed his lips as he settled the kit into the sling around his shoulders, resting the small body against his chest so that it could hear his heartbeat like it would if it were cuddled on its mother's back. "Which pen did you guys put 'em in?"

Yugi frowned in thought. "Three. It was a rather small family group, but you know Blue-Eyes. They're rather family-oriented. Small families rather than one large pack."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Joey muttered, stroking the dragon's spiked ridge, then straightened his back. "Well, here goes nothing."

.-.-.-.-.-.

'_Small family group my __**ass.**__'_

Joey scowled as he stomped around the large enclosure. There were at _least_ fifteen dragons in this pen, all of varying ages and sizes. He knew they wouldn't attack him—the safety of kits was sacred even among species of dragons that hated each other—but that didn't help his mood. He really should have asked for a description of this stupid 'Dragon-Born' or whatever.

Sensing that something was following him, he turned, glaring at what he figured would be an overly-curious kit or yearling. "Okay, beat it-!" He gasped as sharp, intense blue eyes bored into him from a human face and took a step back in surprise.

The man was taller than him, with long brown hair that fell down his back like a waterfall. Two horns, short and stubby but a pristine shade of white, extended from the sides of his skull and began to curve around his head before they ended in blunted points. His limbs were long and muscular and flecked with tiny patches of white scales.

He was _naked._

Joey blushed brightly and quickly averted his gaze. _'Jeez I forgot what Yugi even wanted me t' do!'_

The brunet eyed him critically, licking his lips as he examined the other human from head to toe. His eyes paused on the black kit that blinked up at him innocently, but then they continued up to the blond's face again.

There was a pause in which Joey held his breath, just in case the Dragon-Born man disregarded the kit he was caring for and attacked him anyway. His breath was released in a startled yelp as the brunet suddenly lunged at him, slamming him up against the fence and pressing up against him firmly.

He flinched as the kit mewed in confusion and reached up to grab the brunet's shoulders quickly. "Guh-! Get off!" He squirmed as he felt the taller man's mouth nipping his jaw and jerked his shoulder up so that he couldn't sink his teeth into his neck. "Damn it—Stop—I'm _male_—"

The brunet growled and reached up to grab his hair, trying to tug his head so he would bare his neck. When the smaller boy continued trying to shove him away, he snarled and dug his claws into his scalp lightly.

Joey continued to squirm even as tears formed in his eyes from pain. "_Ouch!_ Damn it, get off of me-!" Feeling desperate and realizing that the brunet didn't understand his words, he grabbed the taller man's free hand and brought it down to his crotch. He flinched as the older boy gave him a hard squeeze and gasped. "Gah-!"

The Dragon-Born man seemed surprised when he felt male genitalia and leaned back to look between them, appearing baffled. He whined quietly, paused, then began to press against him more firmly, so he couldn't escape.

Joey was terrified for a moment until the brunet let out a startled yelp before he was swiftly yanked away. He slid down the fence, eyes wide as he watched one of the larger females grasping the brunet in her tail and carrying him away, scolding him like she would have any other kit. The brunet looked petulant but continued whining, and he figured the larger man had been arguing his point.

But he didn't care, because all he wanted to do was get _out of_ there and get somewhere safe!

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm tellin' you guys, he wanted t' mate with me!" Joey wailed, hugging Kai tightly. "He was gonna mark my throat and he wasn't gonna let me get away!"

Tristan rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Well, I guess that rules out you helping with the kits in _that_ family."

"That's all you're worried about?" the blond growled, glaring at him.

Yugi laughed nervously. "Well, face it, Joey. You've just got a thing for kits."

"So you don't _care_ that this guy was gonna mark me and try t' fuck me?" The older boy's eyes darkened with anger.

Yugi took a step back. "O-of course I care! It's just, now that we know you can't separate him from the herd safely, we have to figure out some other way!"

Joey huffed and turned away from them sharply. "Of-fucking-_course._"

"…Maybe we can separate him when we tag them," Duke suggested, turning from the computer. "When they see we're doing something harmless, they'll let their guards down. Then we can pretend to tag him last and pull him out of the pen before they know what's happening."

"Yeah, and then they could cause a riot and trample the fences," Tristan muttered, scowling. "They treat him like a kit. You can't just take a kit away from its family unless they are _certain_ they can't care for it as well as you can."

Yugi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, let's just tag them and then call someone of higher authority. They'll figure out what to do." He turned toward his blond friend and smiled awkwardly. "Did you want to—"

"ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOT."

"…I didn't think you would…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey walked up to the fence and held up the extra tag-gun he'd brought. "You'd think you guys would realize ya need an extra gun. Ya always break one on their scales."

"Thanks, Joey," Yugi sighed, reaching through the chain links to grab it. "I said we should bring another one, but you know Tristan and Duke; they never do anything wrong."

"Yeah, yeah. Next time just bring it and let 'em bitch," the blond muttered, watching as the other two humans carefully clipped bright blue tags up under each dragon's chin. "Jeez. Look, the dragons are even being nice about—WAUGH!"

Yugi jerked away as the Dragon-Born man appeared next to him, letting out a startled yelp as the brunet reached through the fence and caught his friend by the back of his head, bringing him to press up against the fence. "What are you—"

"_Let go of me—_" Joey began angrily, only to cut himself off as the brunet reached his other hand through to gently trace his cheek bones and ears. "Nn…!"

The brunet cupped his cheek and let out a quiet hum, leaning toward the fence to quietly breathe onto him. Joey felt his eyes flutter closed.

Yugi squawked and shoved him away. "Get _away_, you pervert!" he snapped, then turned to the blond sharply. "You should know better, Joey! You studied mating techniques!"

Joey blushed brightly and stumbled backward, clutching the kit sleeping against his chest. "Uh-! I-I didn't mean—I wasn't thinkin'—I'll go now." He ducked his head in embarrassment and hurriedly walked away.

The brunet whined and followed him on the other side of the fence, eyes wide and full of longing as he easily kept pace with the hurrying blond. When he reached the corner of the pen and could no longer follow him, however, he let out a long, sorrowful howl that made even Tristan flinch at the sadness at rejection it conveyed.

Yugi frowned thoughtfully as he watched the Dragon-Born man roar as if his heart had been broken and wondered what it was about Joey that the brunet found attractive. He'd been wary of the other humans, but didn't seem to have any such fears of Joey. It wasn't as if Joey looked anything like a Dragon-Born, either; he would probably be the last person to be considered even remotely dragonish, since his family wasn't even native to their dragon-occupied lands. His family had come from a land known for unicorns, and had even brought some unicorns to this land.

One of the dragons moved over and wrapped her tail around him, plucking him up swiftly and carrying him over to a group of kits and yearlings. The smaller dragons immediately began to squeal and mob him, and Yugi saw his small tail twitch before he was buried under a mountain of mewling, purring kits.

He watched a clawed hand scrabble wildly at the ground before falling limp, and he worried that the brunet would be smothered to death, but then he saw the hand lift to gently stroke one of the kits' tails.

It was because of _Kai._ The Dragon-Born had seen a creature that looked more like him than the dragons, and he had seen one of those creatures caring for one of what he deemed as his 'species.'

He thought that Joey was different from the others because he was caring for a kit. He didn't know that Joey was only caring for it because its mother had rejected it. He'd probably only chosen Joey because, even though Joey didn't _look_ like a Dragon-Born, he was caring for a dragon and that made him at least dragon in that sense, making him the only ideal mate he'd probably ever find.

Yugi flinched. Joey probably wouldn't be pleased with his theoretical conclusions.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey watched the white dragons as they were herded into another pen, frowning when Kai squealed and grabbed at the fence with his claws. He reached out to gently pull the kit's claws away. "Stop it, Kai."

The baby dragon squealed again, squirming, until the human sighed in frustration and lifted him out of the sling. Purring in triumph, the kit squeaked as it was set on the ground and immediately charged to the fence. It bounced up and down, squealing again, and paced back and forth.

One of the white kits answered its call with a squeal of its own and charged toward them, its little legs pumping hard. Its mother turned and growled, but was appeased when the brunet that was part of their herd cut away to follow it, almost like a clan babysitter.

Joey stiffened as the Dragon-Born man approached, taking a step back but staying close enough to snatch Kai up in case there was trouble. The two kits mewed and tapped noses through the fence, then began licking each others' faces. The brunet walked up behind the white kit and paused as it saw him, then purred and stepped closer to the fence, growling something that made the white kit trill and wag its tail.

Joey took a step back in surprise as the brunet gently traced the wires of the fence with the tip of his finger and blushed, wondering what would come next. Dragons showed how delicate their touches could be by picking leaves off of trees one by one, then show how powerful they were at the same time by ripping the tree out down to the roots.

The brunet purred quietly, smiling, then snarled and grabbed the wires, ripping open a hole with his bare hands that was large enough for him to step through. The two kits cooed in awe.

Joey stared, jaw dropping slightly. "_…Damn._" He squeaked as the brunet stepped through the hole and snatched Kai up quickly, holding him to his chest as he backed away. "Now wait a minute, asshole, I'm not interested in becomin' your bitch-!"

The two humans paused as they heard a squeal and turned to look at the white kit that was waddling through the hole that had been made.

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes, then leaned down to pick up the kit and stepped back through the hole, pulling the fencing shut as best he could before trudging after his family.

Joey and Kai looked at each other in surprise before the blond slowly made his way back to his room.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto."

Yugi looked up from his paperwork and blinked. "Huh?" He raised an eyebrow as he saw that Joey was staring out the window and into the rain, arms crossed and leaning against the windowsill. "What, Joey?"

Joey shrugged. "I was just thinkin' of a name. Let's call him Seto. His herd was found over in the Setorian Sector. So let's call him Seto."

The smaller boy smiled. "You know, when you name things, you get attached to them."

Joey traced his fingertip through the steam forming on the glass. "…He's cute."

"Joey, he doesn't have the mental faculties for you to be in a relationship with him," Yugi stated firmly.

"…He likes kits."

"_Joey,_ he isn't _capable_ of a relationship."

"…He's super strong."

"_Joey._"

"I know," the blond replied miserably. "But he's covered almost all of the basic mating rituals, and I gotta admit… I'm sorta attracted t' that." He blushed. "He's only missed a few, but he's done all of the ones white dragons are known to do."

Yugi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frowning. "Joey, I know it's been a while since you've had… a date… but really? Accepting the attention of someone who thinks he's a lizard?"

Joey hunched his shoulders and sighed. "I know. It's just… even my last boyfriend didn't give me as much attention as he is. And my last _girlfriend_—shit, if she'd even treated me with half of the attention he is, I probably would have tried harder to make it work!"

"…Joey, even if it was possible, it wouldn't be fair to either of you," the smaller boy explained quietly. "You're a human, and he—for lack of a better description—is a _dragon._ He can't communicate with you, and you can't communicate with him. It just _wouldn't work._"

"…I know," the blond whispered, leaning his head against the cool glass. "I know. I'm awful."

"I don't think you're awful," Yugi sighed. "I think you're letting a somewhat handsome man get under your skin."

"…Yeah."

"…I suppose we could call him Seto, though. He does need a name, for when someone finally comes to help us separate him from the herd." Yugi raised an eyebrow. "And even though I think it's too late—_don't get attached to him._"

Joey flinched.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey's jaw fell open slightly. "He said… I should lure him out?"

Yugi flinched. "Yes."

"…Like, lead him on as if I plan on _matin'_ with him? And then just let 'em take him away?"

"…Yes." The smaller boy looked ashamed he was even suggesting it. "And he said, if you didn't do it, he'd have you fired. …Maybe even have Kai taken away from you." He saw the stricken look the blond acquired and flinched again. "I'm sorry. I wish we'd just let the dragons go and never mentioned to anyone that we had a Dragon-Born."

"…That… asshole," Joey whispered, then covered his face and whimpered quietly. "I could go without the job, but _Kai-?_" He took a few deep breaths before letting out an angry roar and punching the wall, his fist easily passing through the drywall. "_GOD DAMN IT!_"

Yugi squeaked. "Joey, please stop destroying things-! You know it doesn't make you feel better in the end!"

The blond took a few deep breaths before he let out a quiet, defeated sob and slid to the ground. "Alright. I'll do it. If it means keepin' Kai, I'll do it."

He felt his friend giving him a hug but couldn't get over how terrible he felt. He would be leading the brunet on and would break his heart when he didn't mate with him at the end, instead letting a bunch of strange humans capture him and lead him away.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey blinked slowly. "…Wow."

Yugi frowned. "You okay?"

The blond turned to look down at him. "He kissed my socks off."

"Yeah, I didn't think someone who thought he was a dragon could actually… know how to kiss." The smaller boy smiled awkwardly. "But are you okay?"

Joey looked down at his feet and hugged himself, biting his bottom lip. "…Yeah, of course I'm fine. Seto's being transported someplace he can be studied safely and I can keep Kai."

Except he wasn't okay. Seto had looked so happy to finally mate with him, had kissed him with such _want_ and _need_, and then had leaned back and smiled at him. Joey had felt his heart break a little when a group of men had stormed into the room and wrapped him in a straightjacket made of some material that even his superior strength couldn't rip it.

Seto had whined, had looked at him with such despair and betrayal that his already cracked heart broke even more. Then he'd been dragged out, screeching loudly for his family before he'd been locked into the back of an ambulance and sedated.

The dragons had all seemed so happy and proud when Seto had followed the blond out of the pen, had even seemed… relieved. Perhaps they knew that Seto had never really belonged with them, or sensed that this would be the only time he'd mate and be happy.

Not only had he betrayed Seto's trust, but he'd also betrayed the dragons.

Joey couldn't look Kai in the eyes for days.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked between the two different white scales he'd been given and sighed, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Damn. Same dragon _again._"

Not that it was his problem anymore. He'd quit a few months after Seto was taken. He couldn't handle the guilt. He didn't deserve dragons, and they certainly didn't deserve him. He'd betrayed them. Yugi, Tristan, and even Duke had tried to convince him to stay, had tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault and it was for the best.

He knew differently.

They still sent him scales, since he was the best at identifying whether they came from the same dragon or different ones, but for the most part, he'd abandoned that part of his life. He'd come home and gone back to work on his family's ranch. The only contact he had with dragons now was Kai, who had grown into a handsome adolescent and sometimes nested at his ranch during the colder months.

He wasn't sure how Kai had found him a few years ago, since he'd left him with a female dragon that had willingly taken on the task of raising him herself, but he supposed bottle-feeding the kit fresh out of the egg had left an imprint on him.

Joey sighed and stood, licking his fingers and reaching out to put the flame of his lamp out. The sun was rising and he needed to go feed the unicorns, turn them out into the paddock, and muck their stalls. Soon someone would come by to buy them and herd them elsewhere. He wanted the unicorns in top condition when that happened.

As he grabbed a pitchfork and began mucking the stalls, he let his mind wander. It was one of the few times during the day that he allowed it, simply because he didn't like to dwell on what he was scooping up.

He wondered vaguely if his sister was okay, since she'd taken his job with dragons after he quit. He was more worried about Tristan and Duke than he was about her dealing with dragons. Yugi sent him a letter every week, though, detailing what had been happening. He mentioned that Serenity was a strong young woman and the last time anyone had attacked her, he'd had to see a doctor in the emergency ward, so he figured she'd be able to handle Tristan and Duke; after all, they liked girls, but were adequately scared of their tempers. It helped that Serenity had helped muck stalls and break unicorns, too, so she was stronger than the average woman.

He thought back to Seto and flinched mid-turn, cursing as the mucky hay fell from his pitchfork. He scooped it up again and dumped it into the wheelbarrow, then turned back to the stall, frowning.

It had been eight years. He wondered if Seto was still alive. Whenever he'd made inquiries, he was brushed off, and when Yugi made inquiries, he was told he didn't have enough clearance. He wanted to know that Seto was okay after what he'd done to him, but he figured that this was a just punishment; he'd hurt Seto, and now he'd never know what happened to him.

Joey rolled his eyes and cursed as he heard one of the herding-dogs begin barking. All of his neighbors and the people in town knew that he didn't talk to people when he was mucking stalls. His family has always considered it rude to talk to people during the handling of horse shit, and for the most part, unless it was an emergency, everyone else understood. He hoped to high heavens that the person that had stopped at his home was some lost city-sissy.

He didn't hear anyone approaching the barn, so he figured that the person at least had the good sense to wait at the house for him to come out. He hoped they'd leave before he got finished. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone today. Well, truthfully, he didn't want to deal with anyone at all.

He was bitter. He hated himself for what he'd done. And people felt sorry for him. He didn't want anyone's pity, even though he knew he sort of deserved it, because he was pathetic.

Joey leaned against the doorway of the stall and frowned, brows furrowing together. He missed feeling confident. He missed being proud. But he couldn't be proud of himself. Not after the way Seto looked at him with such utter betrayal. There was nothing to _be_ proud of anymore.

He looked down at his feet, sighing quietly. "Damn it."

"Damning yourself, are you?"

Joey jumped and turned, pitchfork clattering to the ground when he was immediately arrested by glowing blue eyes. He gulped, squeaked, then whispered, "Seto?"

"…I suppose," the brunet replied, crossing his arms. He looked different when he was wearing clothes, especially an expensive silk shirt and dark slacks, despite the fact that nothing else about him had changed except for his short haircut. "I prefer Kaiba. It was the name given me by my teachers."

The younger boy blinked in confusion. "…What…?"

"After they finished poking and prodding me, they decided to experiment with me," the Dragon-Born man explained, shrugging casually. "I figured it would be best if I complied, and I learned quickly. I took especially well to the game of chess, so they named me after one of the most expert players. Aside from my scales, horns, and tail, I can function as a regular human."

Joey frowned and looked back at his feet. "…Oh."

Kaiba paused, the continued, "They've discovered other Dragon-Born among the herds of dragons that have been so difficult to bring in and tag. They're learning just as quickly as I did. I've even been offered a job. It's funny, since they thought of me as an animal before, and now they want to give me a job like any other human. I think I'll take it; I've been told that it's a very high-paying job."

"…Oh." The blond bent down to pick up his pitchfork, brushing off some of the mud and feces that had gotten on the handle when he dropped it, then began mucking the stall he was in again. "Well, congratulations."

Kaiba stared at him for a few minutes, tilting his head, then took a few steps toward him. He choked back a whine as the scent of old-hay-horse-shit-urine-sweat-mold nearly punched him in the face, pausing where he stood so he wouldn't accidentally knock himself out. "…That's all you have to say? After what you did to me?"

Joey rolled his eyes angrily but didn't look at him. "What do ya want me t' say? I mean, I can't say I'm sorry enough, so I won't even try. Why don't ya just take comfort in the fact that _**I'm**__ pickin' up unicorn shit and __**you've**__ been offered a high-payin' job?_" he ground out, glad that the brunet had come so far but also pissed off that he'd worried for nothing.

Not that Seto's—Kaiba's—humanity made him feel any better. He felt a sense of loss, because the Dragon-Born he'd known was gone. Seto had been educated; he was no longer the instinct-driven beast he'd liked despite being scared of him.

He was Kaiba. Seto was gone. And it was his fault entirely.

Joey gripped the pitchfork tighter and grit his teeth, tears filling his eyes. He wondered what would have happened to Seto if he'd been allowed to leave with his herd. He'd probably still be blissfully unaware of what a shitty world the humans lived in, full of power-trips and unfairness and wrongful blame. He lifted his hand to wipe away the tears in his eyes, but strong fingers wrapped around his wrist before he got a chance.

Kaiba used the grip on his wrist to lift him off his feet and forcefully turn him around to face him, scowling. "That's a whole new level of disgusting even for _you,_ Wheeler. Your hands are covered in shit. Even _I_ was taught not to put filth near my eyes, and that was by my dragon guardians."

"Oh, go bother someone else, asshole!" Joey snapped, glaring at him. "Ya came t' rub it in my face that you're better than me now! I get it, okay?! Just leave me alone! I got six other stalls I still gotta muck and ya can't—"

Kaiba couldn't keep back the angry growl that escaped his throat. He'd been able to learn the human ways of life, but he hadn't been able to forget the dragon ones he'd grown up with.

The blond heard his growl for the threat that it was and stopped struggling, instead turning his wet glare on his feet petulantly. "…I get that you're better than me now, Kaiba. You've got a nice job lined up and I… I'm gonna be rakin' horse shit for the rest of my life and strugglin' t' turn a profit. Can't ya just leave it at that?" He sighed tiredly. "…I see that you're okay now. Please leave me alone."

Kaiba stared at him for several minutes, blinking slowly, before his eyebrow began to twitch. He opened his mouth, closed it, let out a high-pitched, angry whine in the back of his throat as his brows furrowed together, then opened his mouth again and _roared._

Joey shrank back as much as he could with Seto's hand on his wrist, eyes widening in terror as the brunet let go of wrist and instead turned and punched the thick beam of wood that held the door to the stall, snapping it easily. He took another step back with a terrified whimper and looked up at him in confusion. "Se—Kaiba—What are ya—"

"WHY IS IT NEVER ENOUGH!?" Kaiba snarled, glaring at him.

The blond frowned in confusion. "…Wh-what-?"

"WHY CAN'T I PLEASE YOU!?" The Dragon-Born cornered him against the stall wall, placing his hands on either side of him so he couldn't escape as he angrily hissed, "When I was just a beast living among my family, you wouldn't have me. I did everything I could to prove what a good mate I'd be, and you started to seem receptive. Then when those men took me from you, I knew that you didn't want me as I was. I changed. I learned everything one needs to know about being human. I_ became_ human.

"I learned that most humans want mates with good, high-paying jobs, and I learned exactly how much one needs to make to be high-paid. I learned everything I need to become wealthy, because I also learned that some like to give up their low-paying jobs for wealthy mates. I know where to put my money once I earn it to keep it safe, to keep it growing into more money, and make life comfortable. I learned everything that the wealthy person must do to keep their mates happy.

"I went back to the place they'd taken me from, to prove that I could become the kind of mate you'd want. You weren't there, and they told me that you'd been gone many months. I had to beg and plead and even _fight_ to figure out where you'd gone. Even when I show you what a great human I've become you don't want me.

"WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO MAKE YOU WANT ME?!" Kaiba roared, tightening his grip on the wood until he crushed it in his palms.

Joey bit his bottom lip, blushing a little, then went up on his toes and kissed the brunet lightly. He pulled back before the taller man could realize what he was doing and looked down at his feet nervously. "…Kaiba…"

Kaiba whined pathetically. "What do I have to do to be good enough for you?"

The blond looked back up at him and sniffed quietly, embarrassed because he hadn't realized just how desperately the Dragon-Born had wanted him—enough to change himself entirely. "Kaiba, ya don't hafta do anything. I like you as yourself, whatever that is. If you're happy, I'll be happy."

And he realized with a lighter heart just how true that was. It was how he'd always felt. He just wanted the Dragon-Born to be happy.

Kaiba looked at him for a moment, whining again quietly, then leaned his head on the smaller man's shoulder. "I want you. That will make me happy."

Joey bit his bottom lip, frowning, then glanced aside. "…I'm not like the humans ya learned about, Kaiba. I'm not just gonna quit because ya make a lot of money, or just let ya do all of the work."

"Then I'll stay here with you and work with the unicorns. Just please don't send me away," the brunet pleaded.

Joey sighed, brows furrowing together again as he looked at the Dragon-Born man leaning against him. After a moment, he began tilting his chin up.

Kaiba blinked, then whined again, eyes widening as he saw the blond's smooth throat being bared to him. He glanced up at his face in concern. This wasn't a human thing. He had a ring in his pocket. He could have just given him that!

The blond smiled at him, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "I wanna call ya Seto."

"…_MINE!_" Seto sunk his fangs into the human's throat and growled, feeling quite pleased with himself as the blond whimpered and fell limp against him. Gathering the limp body in his arms, he purred and released his neck, proudly carrying him out of the barn and over to a pile of hay.

"Agh! I don't wanna do it out in the open-!" Joey exclaimed, blushing brightly and glaring at him. "Take me t' the house!"

"You're filthy," Seto stated, as if that settled things, then began pulling at his clothes.

"I DON'T MIND YOUR BEASTY SIDE BUT I WILL NOT HAVE SEX WHERE ANYONE AND THEIR GRANDMOTHER CAN SEE ME."

Seto didn't even pause. So Joey hit him.

And he was thankful that Seto finally relented and carried him into the house so he could clean up. He was also glad that the brunet was curious enough to follow him to his soft bed, because once the Dragon-Born finished with him, he couldn't walk for three days.


	56. Black and White II

Author's Note: I don't know about this one… it seems rushed, but I really wasn't trying to rush it… I just wanted to tie up some loose ends. **:**C

* * *

Black and White II

Joey frowned as he heard Seto get up and turned, watching him slowly move away from the fire. He looked down at Mokuba, who was sleeping soundly with his shiny gray wings wrapped around him, then stood and began following him. He flinched a little when he scraped his still-tender wing against a tree and choked back a whimper, not wanting to upset the brunet in case he was relieving himself or something.

He peeked out from behind a tree to see what the older boy was doing, growing concerned that he might be sick when he sat down against a tree. He thought about stepping forward to offer assistance, if he needed water or something to settle his stomach, but froze in shock as the white dragon reached into his pants and sighed, closing his eyes.

He was pleasuring himself. Joey vaguely realized that that made sense; they'd been traveling together for a few months and he never heard or saw him complain about being sexually frustrated. Unfortunately, the only thing he really noticed was that he was starting to become aroused by the white dragon's self-pleasure.

Joey bit his bottom lip in embarrassment, too afraid he'd make noise as he hurried away, but afraid that he'd be caught where he was, too. He blushed a little and ducked back behind the tree, but then he heard Seto moan. He fought with himself for a moment, then peeked around the tree again, breath hitching as he watched the brunet's hand move up and down.

He hesitated before stepping out from behind the tree, blushing more when the older boy looked up at him sharply. He offered a bashful smile. "I could help ya."

Seto opened his mouth, then closed it, scowling at him. "Because you want to or because you think it's your duty to serve me?"

Joey rocked back on his feet, looking down at the ground, then whispered, "Maybe a little bit of both. But I'd really like t' suck ya off."

Disgruntled was an understatement. He wanted to smack Joey and send him away for thinking he needed to serve him. On the other hand, Joey had said that he'd really like to suck him off, and he was tired of touching himself (because despite what the blond might believe, this wasn't the first time he'd left to pleasure himself; it was just the first time Joey had apparently been awake). He rumbled quietly in frustration. He just wanted to masturbate and get things over with and here Joey was making it difficult.

Joey frowned. "…Ya don't want me t' suck on ya?"

Seto rolled his eyes angrily. "Well, I'd like that very much, but—" He rumbled again as the blond began toward him, scowling. "_But I'd prefer if you actually wanted it rather than thought you __**should**__ do it._"

The blond blinked at him, then smiled. "But I do wanna do it." He purred and reached down to brush his palm over his own erection. "I could suck ya and I could touch myself at the same time. Multitasking. Ya like multitasking."

"I DON'T REALLY THINK THIS COUNTS—Ungh!" He could no longer complain, because Joey had just gone and done it anyway.

And he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You can ask me any time," Joey stated, smiling up at him from his position strewn across the brunet's lap. "I wouldn't mind."

"…I'll think about it," Seto replied after a few moments.

He had to admit that the blond's mouth had been wonderful after months of touching himself, but he was turned off by the way the black dragon felt he had to serve him. He knew there must be a part of Joey that had actually wanted it, otherwise he would have scampered away blubbering apologies, but still! He wanted the blond to think he was equal, not his servant!

"…How's your wing?" the brunet asked quietly.

Joey shrugged a little. "It hurts. But it's gettin' better."

Seto scowled, mostly to himself. "It's been months. Why is it taking so long to heal when the cuts I gave you healed in a few days?"

"He tried t' saw my wing off. That's not somethin' that heals overnight, okay?" the blond sighed. "It'll be finished healin' in a few weeks."

"We'll be reaching a human village in a few weeks," the brunet murmured. "Mokuba and I will put on our mating gems and see if we can find work so we can get some food."

"If ya can, see if you can stay in an inn or somethin'. I'll be fine out here," Joey added hastily. "It's the way it's always been for me. You and Mokuba aren't used t' this 'roughin' it' thing and I'll be honest—you're kinda slowin' me down. Have a few nights in a comfortable place and you'll be ready for sleepin' outside again."

Seto frowned. He didn't want to just abandon the black dragon after all he'd done for them, showing them how to survive once the bear meat had run out and they'd begun traveling. He felt like that was a terrible way to pay the blond back for his kindness.

"…If it makes ya feel better, I could always sneak into your room," the black dragon sighed, rolling his eyes.

Seto frowned, brows furrowing together. "…That would be acceptable." He lifted his hand to fiddle with the blond's hair. "…Yes. That would be fine."

Joey looked up at him and smiled. "Good."

Seto felt his heart skip a beat. Joey was so beautiful, with his inky black scales and brown-red eyes, but he would never accept his feelings if he admitted to having them. He was too used to being considered filth, and he wouldn't want to 'dirty' a white dragon.

He touched the younger boy's cheek gently. "…Joey, where do dragons get mating gems?"

"The parents of the hatchling crush the eggshell up and burn it until it becomes a gem." The blond sighed. "Ya can't find one for me, Seto. I wasn't supposed t' have one and I don't. It's okay."

But it wasn't okay. Seto just couldn't figure out a way to tell him so.

He paused. "Wait, eggshells?"

The blond could only laugh at his startled and confused expression.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto led the way inside the inn and looked around for a moment before his eyes caught a rather plump woman at the bar, cleaning some glasses. He approached her first. "Ma'am?"

She looked up at him in surprise, then smiled and placed a fist on her curvy hip as she looked up at him. "What can I do ya for, handsome?"

Seto stared, startled.

Mokuba rolled his eyes and approached the bar as well, smiling up at her innocently. "Ma'am, do you know anyone that has odd jobs that we could work? We're passing through and we'd love to be able to afford a few nights at this lovely inn."

The woman laughed—it was a very nice, sincere laugh. "Oh, honey, I have some dishes that need doin', if you're willin'." She looked Seto up and down. "Now I'm sure I could find somethin' for you t' do."

Seto's eyes widened. He wasn't sure he wanted to do anything for her with the way she was looking at him like a piece of meat. "Um—I—"

"Ya know you're just about the right size. Ya know how t' roof?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Uh. I think—yes, I can." He was so relieved that she wasn't asking what he thought she'd ask that he almost forgot how to speak. "Do you need the entire roof redone, or just patches?"

"It's too late in the year t' redo the whole thing, so just patches. You'll see where."

Seto nodded slightly. "I see. Thank you very much."

"I'll let ya room for free and pay ya two gold apiece a day for as long as ya stay," she added. "One in the mornin' and one in the evenin' after you're finished. Oh, I'll throw in food for free. I'm sure ya'll are gonna be hungry after all that hard work."

Seto and Mokuba glanced at each other, frowning. Washing dishes and patching a roof? How difficult was that going to be?

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey carefully crawled through the open window and sat down on the floor, smiling at the two brothers brightly. "So how was your day? I betcha enjoyed bein' around humans again!"

Mokuba groaned loudly. "My arms are going to fall off!"

"…I don't think I'll be able to move in the morning," Seto added, frowning.

The blond frowned in concern. "…_Nothin'_ good happened today?"

Seto sighed. "…The food was good, I guess."

Joey smiled brightly. "See, it's not all bad!" He stood and walked over to roll the brunet onto his back.

The older boy groaned loudly. "Thank you…"

The blond scampered over to the smaller boy and rolled him onto his back as well, then sighed, frowning. "Well this is hopeless. Stay here." He grabbed the washbasin, then scampered to the window and disappeared for a few minutes.

Seto frowned. "I can't move to go anywhere."

"…Neither can I," Mokuba muttered.

Joey returned a few minutes later with the basin full of water. He moved toward Mokuba and stripped his shirt off, then began cleaning him with the water and a rag.

Mokuba groaned. "Joey, you don't have to do this…!"

"I wanna. Besides, you're gross. Who knows how often they clean the sheets and you'd be stuck sleepin' in this grossness." He made sure the smaller boy was as clean as possible, then tucked him under the blankets of his bed. "Go t' bed, sleepyhead."

Seto smiled a little as he forced himself into a sitting position, watching as his brother drifted to sleep and Joey slipped out the window with the washbasin again. He returned a few minutes later with fresh water and sat down beside him. "I could try to stop you."

Joey leaned in to kiss him lightly, startling the older boy. "You could try. Here." He stripped the white dragon's shirt off, taking a moment to admire the blue mating gem, then pulled the rag out of the water to begin wiping his chest gently.

"…You're too good to us, Joey," the brunet murmured. He smiled a little when the black dragon ducked his head bashfully and forced his arm up to curl his fingers in his golden hair. "If I were to give you my mating gem—"

"I wouldn't have one t' give ya, so everyone would assume I was your bitch and you'd still be free to have sex with anyone else," the younger boy explained quietly, like he had every time Seto asked him. He didn't know if the brunet actually expected his answer to change at some point, but the sad fact was that it never would and it would remain the same. "It would be different if I had a mating gem t' give ya, but I don't. Don't ask again."

But he would ask again, just as Joey was forgetting he'd asked before.

Seto dipped his head to lean his forehead against the blond's and kissed him lightly, whispering, "I'd like to give mine to you."

"Don't," the black dragon whispered back. He leaned back to continue cleaning him, then gently pushed him down to lie on his back. "Go to sleep."

The brunet whined. He wanted to argue, but he really was quite tired. "Stay with me."

Joey smiled and stroked his cheek gently. "I'll stay until someone come's t' check on ya."

Seto whined again but let his eyes drift closed as the blond began stroking his hair. He wanted to stay awake and enjoy it, but then the black dragon began quietly singing a sweet little tune that made him drift off much more quickly than he wanted to.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I see you've done a good job up there. No leaks," the innkeeper said, slapping the brunet on the back cheerfully.

Seto grunted. "Yeah. Is there anything else you need done?"

She frowned. "Well, your brother's got the breakfast dishes handled, and lunches are light…" She smiled and clapped him on the back again. "Why doncha go out and nose around town for a while? Got some pretty interestin' shops here, and ya've got a pocketful of gold burnin' your britches, I'm sure!"

"…Yeah." Seto shrugged his shoulders tiredly as he walked over to the door and peeked back at her. She shooed him away, so he was sure she had no jobs for him right now. He could ask around town if anyone needed anything done.

But he did have a pocketful of gold now. He thought about getting his brother a book or a toy. He deserved it.

Spying a shop that read 'toys' in faded gold lettering, Seto moved toward the door and stepped inside. He tilted his head as the bell above the door jingled cheerily. He didn't really like bells, but this one sounded nice.

"Welcome, sir!"

The brunet stared at the boy behind the counter. He couldn't be much older than Mokuba. "…Are you old enough to be running a store?"

"WHY DOES EVERYONE ASK THAT I AM SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD!" the boy roared angrily. He panted for a moment, then smiled as if he hadn't just lost his temper. "Is there something I can help you find, or were you just looking?"

Seto stared a little longer. "…Just… looking…"

The boy continued smiling. "Very good, sir."

The brunet thought about leaving then and there (this kid—almost an adult, really?!—sort of unnerved him), but he remembered Mokuba and how they hadn't really had a lot growing up, so he deserved something fun now while he had the time to enjoy it.

He began looking at some of the toys, wondering if Mokuba was too old to play with the wooden figurines. Maybe he should have gone to a book shop instead… At least he could take it back and trade it in for a different book at a new town…

Seto saw something glinting from the corner of his eye and turned his head, gasping quietly as he saw a large red gemstone floating in what looked like a glass orb. He approached it immediately, hand instinctively reaching up to clutch his own gem through his shirt. "What is this?"

The boy walked up on the other side of the counter. "Do you want the obvious answer or the legend? Because obviously, it's a gem."

"…Legend is fine…" Seto muttered, placing his hands on the counter and leaning toward the glass sphere so he could examine the gem closer. It glowed with some sort of inner power, just like his and Mokuba's did.

"Legend has it that before the dragons disappeared, they'd make beautiful gemstones from the shells of their eggs," the boy explained. "But there was one sect of dragons that weren't allowed them. Traditionally, they had to make the gems, but the dragons weren't allowed to keep them, so they placed the gemstones in orbs full of acid and left them here." The boy laughed a little. "Kind of sad, isn't it? It's not really fair, and they're so beautiful—"

"How much for it?" the brunet cut in, standing up straight.

The boy blinked at him for a moment. "…Well, it's not for sale, really—we just leave it out here to catch the light. I think Grandpa said it would cost thousands of gold to replace."

"So I can't pay you for it?" Seto frowned and looked back at the gem. It figured that he would find a mating gem that would have fit Joey perfectly and he had no way to obtain it. He sighed quietly, then looked back at the boy sharply. "Would you accept a trade?"

"Uh." The boy blinked as the brunet pulled his mating gem from under his shirt. "…Um. Well, I'd have to ask my grandpa. It's his, after all. He found it." He watched the older boy's expression fall and frowned. "Hey, my grandpa's a fair guy. He'll seriously consider it, okay? I'll talk to him at dinner tonight. Come back tomorrow morning and I'll have an answer for you."

Seto sighed, but he had nothing else to bargain with and he didn't want to embarrass himself. "Okay."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Aw, Mokuba's out like a light," Joey cooed, stroking the younger boy's hair. He smiled a little and pulled the blankets up to cover him better, then turned to look back at the brunet. His smile faltered a little when he saw the melancholy expression on his face. "Seto?"

"…It's nothing." Seto held his hands out for him and smiled as the blond stood and came to sit next to him, grabbing his hands. "I just encountered something today. …Joey?"

"You cannot give me your mating gem," Joey stated firmly.

"…But if you had one—no, let me finish, it's important," he snapped when he saw the blond opening his mouth. "If you had one—_if_ you had one—and gave it to me, and _I_ didn't have a mating gem to give to you, what would that mean? What would that look like to other dragons?"

The younger boy frowned, tilting his head a little. "…It… would look like I was trappin' ya, Seto. If the Elders ever saw my matin' gem around your neck and I didn't also have yours, they'd assume I tricked ya somehow, because without yours, I could flirt and have sex with anyone else. Seto, just face it; we can't exchange matin' gems, so we can't mate. And a white dragon shouldn't _want_ to mate with a black dragon."

"But that's what I _do_ want," the brunet muttered, scowling. "You've been the kindest to me out of all the dragons I've met. You've even stopped acting so much like my servant since we've been traveling together. I find you attractive, and you find me attractive, and we like each other, so why shouldn't we be allowed to mate?"

Joey rolled his eyes and sighed, patting the older boy's hand sympathetically. "Seto, it's just not gonna happen. I don't have a matin' gem. And I'll be honest—if ya didn't have yours but I had mine, I wouldn't wanna mate with ya then, either. Not because I don't like ya," he assured hastily when the brunet looked up at him in disgruntlement. "But eventually, now that they know you're alive, the Elders are gonna send people to look for ya.

"It would look really bad if they found ya with my matin' gem on ya and I didn't have yours. I'd be beaten for sure and they'd revoke our matin', sayin' I musta deceived ya somehow. They can do that, ya know—When it comes t' your safety, if they think your mate is hurtin' ya, they can revoke it, even if you're royalty. T' make sure they can't, we'd _both_ need matin' gems."

Seto let out a frustrated snarl and fell back on the bed. "Of course. Jeez. I finally find someone I like and I can't even spend my life with him. What a shitty twist of fate."

Joey leaned over him and kissed his forehead. "White dragons. You're so fuckin' weird."

The brunet's hand shot up and dug into his hair, dragging him down sharply. "Come here."

"Gah-! Your chest is so hard oooowwww!" the younger boy whined, lifting a hand to rub his chin. "Jeez, what was that for?"

"Sleep with me tonight."

"I always sleep with ya!"

"Under the blankets this time."

Joey paused, frowning, as his brows drew together. He'd slept with Seto plenty of times outside, but it had always been more of a body-heat thing than a comfort thing. And when he'd slept inside these past few nights, it had always been above the blankets while Seto slept beneath them. He didn't really want to, because that meant that they were becoming more comfortable with each other, and since he knew they couldn't mate, he didn't want to give Seto false hope.

He squeaked quietly as the brunet gave him a small squeeze. "Seto-!"

"Stay with me," the brunet ordered.

"…But—" Joey whined as the brunet growled and sat up to begin muscling him under the blankets. "Agh Seto quit it you're hurtin' me-!" He yelped as the brunet curled around him like a vice and pulled the blankets up, then sighed in annoyance. "I hafta be out before that lady comes t' wake ya up."

"I'll be asleep then, so you can just wriggle out like you usually do."

The blond mumbled and muttered and grumbled, but he eventually settled down. "Fine."

Seto smiled as he felt the blond's tail wrapping around his leg and leaned in to kiss him.

And Joey was gone in the morning when the innkeeper rapped on their door and bustled inside to get them both out of bed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto grimaced as he limped into the game shop.

The other boy stared. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, just had some work at the inn." He sighed, then frowned. "I fell off the roof."

"Oh. Yeah, when people ask Madeline for work, she makes sure they work." The younger boy grimaced sympathetically. "I swear, she has someone patch her roof every month."

Seto muttered to himself about how he hadn't worked nearly as hard when he was trying to provide money to his foster-parents before looking back up at hm. "So… what did your grandfather say?"

"He'll be out to tell you in a few minutes."

The brunet sighed and lifted his hand to clench his mating gem through his shirt. "I guess I can't put my gem where my mouth is. I can't trade it. I didn't know how much it meant."

The boy smiled. "Well. We'll just have to wait for Grandpa to come out and tell us his decision anyway."

Seto gazed at the red gem sadly. He could try and save up his gold, but until he found a place to settle down, he knew he was going to have to continue to spend it as soon as he got it, and he didn't really feel a need to settle. Town life just didn't seem right to him, though, and when he'd talked to Joey about it, he told him it was because he was a dragon. Dragons lived on the floating city Aeria; it was their home, but dragons loved to fly around. Dragons were nomads before they had to take to the skies to hide from the humans.

The brunet sighed. "Damn…"

"Alright! I've decided!"

Seto yelped as the doors behind the counter burst open and jerked backward, letting out a muffled curse as he fell over. "ARGH."

The old man stared at him for a moment before smiling as if he hadn't just disturbed the atmosphere in the room. "Good morning, young man!"

The brunet stood and glared at him. "What is it with your family?! Gah!"

"You want this red gem?" the man asked, coming over to stand beside it. "The gem's sitting in acid, you know. You could hurt yourself getting it out."

Seto hissed quietly. "I'm certain that wouldn't be a problem." For his dragon tail, anyway. Joey had said that the scales were impervious to most things, and acids were no problem.

He wondered how many times Joey had dipped his tail into acid to find out.

The two other men stared at him as his face twisted in disgruntlement for a moment. Finally, though, the younger boy looked up at his grandfather. "Why? Are you breaking the glass?"

The old man laughed. "Ohohoho no! There's something very special about this glass! If you just gently tap this spot right here, the glass becomes gelatinous, so you can reach into the acid and pull it out! …No one's ever been able to stick their hand in for more than a few seconds," he whispered conspiratorially, as if it should have surprised them.

Seto tilted his head. "So you're saying, if I just reach into the glass and pull out the gem, I can keep it?"

"That's the deal I make with everyone else!" the old man replied, smiling.

The brunet looked back at the gem sharply. His tail was impervious; his hand was not. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before turning to look at the door he'd come through. It had a lock. He went over and locked it firmly, then walked back to the counter and looked up at them. "I will accept your deal."

The old man nodded and reached over the counter to shake his hand, then reached up and tapped the glass orb. It made a beautiful, low musical sound, like a piano or a flute, and the glass quivered like the jelly that the inn had served for dessert the night before.

Seto stared at it for a few moments, then reached down his shirt to grab his mating gem and pulled the chain up over his head. He twisted his tail around as soon as it was off and jabbed it into the sphere. He saw bubbles form around his tail and felt an odd tickling sensation but ignored it in favor of swinging the tip of his tail, hard, into the gem. The gem flew out the opposite side of the sphere and clattered on the floor, where some residual acid blackened the floor around it. Seto slipped the chain back over his head, tucking his gem down his shirt. His wings and tail flickered out of sight.

It had taken only seven seconds, but it was still seven seconds too long when he saw the other boy staring up at him with wide eyes. He cringed.

The old man laughed. "I knew it! Only another dragon would have a gem just like that one!" He grinned slyly. "And I suppose you're getting it for someone else, too, considering you already have your own!"

Seto stared at him awkwardly. "…Um."

The sphere that had held the gem jiggled and shook, and they all realized with a sudden start that the only reason the acid hadn't dissolved the glass was because of the gem. They all backed away from the counter hurriedly, just in time for the glass to melt completely and the acid drop to the floor, melting the wood of the counter beneath it.

They all stared. Finally, the younger boy screeched, "AND YOU LET ME PLAY WITH THIS THING WHEN I WAS A KID?!"

"Well, you never touched the part that let you reach through it, so I didn't see any harm in it," the old man replied, shrugging.

Seto walked over to pick up the red gem and smiled, then turned to face the other two and nodded toward the remains of the counter and floor. "Madeline doesn't have any more work for me, but I could fix that today for a couple of gold."

"…Well, it would give me time to finally repaint the outside of the shop," the other boy muttered, not really looking forward to the task but much more willing to do that than repair the counter and floor.

The old man laughed and clapped the brunet on the back. "You're hired, then!" He paused, then leaned toward him and helpfully whispered, "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with us."

"No one would believe Grandpa anyway. They think he's crazy," the other boy added.

The old man huffed. "I am _not_ crazy!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto, you're limpin'!" Joey exclaimed, frowning, and stood, fidgeting a little. "I—I dunno what t' give ya for that. Um. I could rub your leg-?" He scowled when he saw the brunet's smug expression. "What's that look for?"

Mokuba bounced into the room behind him, smiling brightly. "Seto found the perfect gift for you, Joey!"

"How many times do I hafta tell ya not t' spend things on me? I don't like human sweets, I can't read, and I'm too old for toys."

"Well you like chocolate just fine, I'd love to teach you how to read, and I saw you looking at a puzzle one day," Seto retorted self-assuredly. When the blond didn't argue (probably trying to figure out which one to reply to first), he knelt in front of the black dragon and grabbed his hands. "Joey—"

"You _cannot_ give me your matin' gem," Joey cut in, scowling.

Seto smirked. It was the smuggest smirk the blond had ever had the misfortune of seeing. "I'm not giving you my mating gem."

"Ya can't give me a human weddin' ring either," the black dragon added, because they'd had _that_ discussion before, too.

The brunet nearly purred. "I'm not giving you a wedding ring." He released one of the other boy's hands to reach into his pocket.

Joey felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He didn't know what was happening, but he could tell it was big, especially with Mokuba nearly bouncing with excitement nearby. He watched the brunet pull a large red gemstone out of his pocket and squeaked in the back of his throat, eyes widening as it was placed in his hands.

He lifted his hands to look at it, biting his bottom lip as he began to tremble a little. He stared at the glowing red stone. It was beautiful. It was like Seto's blue gemstone, and Mokuba's violet gemstone, and his family's red gemstone, and… and…

"You got me a… mating stone," he whispered, overwhelmed, and sank to his knees. He sat down and held the stone to his chest, then looked up at the brunet in confusion. "…How did you-?"

"It's a long story," the brunet answered. "But if you'd like to hear it, we could snuggle up in bed." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Both of us under the blankets."

Mokuba raised an eyebrow as the blond flushed brightly, but he figured it was something unique to Joey. He walked over and gave the blond a hug. "It's okay, Joey. Seto isn't too bad to sleep with."

Joey coughed awkwardly, because he already knew that.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So, you… found it?" Joey asked after a few minutes of digesting the story. "In a glass ball full of acid?"

"I know it sounds a little far-fetched," Seto began hastily.

"…It wouldn't surprise me that they would be that vindictive," the blond continued quietly. He clutched the mating gem—_his_ mating gem, he reminded himself happily—to his chest. "I bet they used t' rub it in black dragons' faces, too. 'Yeah, ya had a matin' gem, but we put it in acid and left it where the humans could find it.' They'd do that."

Seto rolled on top of the blond and smiled. "So we could trade mating gems and be mates and the Elders couldn't do anything about it, right?" His smile faded when the black dragon glanced away, brows furrowing together. "…Joey?"

"…Could I… Could I keep this one for a while?" Joey asked after a few minutes. "Could it… just be mine for a few days?"

The brunet frowned, feeling disappointed that even though he had a mating gem, he still wouldn't mate with him. He could understand it, though. Joey had never had a mating gem. Now that he had one, he probably wanted to keep it for himself for a while.

So, he sighed, smiling, and pressed a kiss to the blond's forehead. "Keep it as long as you want, Joey."

Joey smiled up at him shyly and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Seto." He reached up to wrap his arm around his neck before he could move away, pulling the older boy on top of him more. "It's been a while since we've…" He paused, then glanced at the younger boy. He had fallen asleep. "…We could—"

"Well, I'm not really in the mood to do it. …But I could use my mouth." Seto trailed the tip of his finger down the blond's chest and smirked when he whimpered. "Just make sure not to get too loud. I'd hate to wake Mokuba up."

The blond squeaked, but still smiled bashfully. "Really?"

"What a voyeur," the older boy murmured, and kissed him again so he couldn't retort. He was going to let Joey keep his mating gem as long as he wanted. He didn't mind waiting a little longer.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey hissed and reached up to scratch his nose. "Nyur." He scowled as something tickled his nose again and opened his eyes. "And ya tell Mokuba t' stop actin' like a child. You're settin' a fine example," he snapped when he found Seto holding a feather less than an inch from his nose. "Where did you get that, anyway?"

Seto smiled abashedly. "We caught some pheasant for breakfast."

"_I_ caught most of them," Mokuba added proudly, and pointed to the fire where the blond could see three pheasants being roasted on spits. "Seto was too busy muttering to himself!"

The black dragon sat up and yawned, then scratched the back of his head. "What were ya mutterin' about now?"

"…Nothing."

Joey shot him a rather pointed look for having just woken up.

Seto sighed and rolled his eyes. "Really. It was nothing."

The blond didn't quite believe him, but Mokuba did, and he knew him better. So, shrugging, the blond approached the fire and took one of the pheasants. "This one's mine."

"This one's mine!"

Seto sighed again and rolled his eyes skyward, muttering to himself again because he'd been left with the smallest pheasant. It was what he'd been muttering about when they were hunting them, too.

Once they finished eating (Joey taking a little pity on the brunet and sharing some of his pheasant with him, thank goodness), Mokuba promptly announced that he was going to go take a bath in the river and if he was gone for more than hour, so be it because he felt gross.

Joey watched him leave, completely baffled by his outburst.

Seto took his confusion to his advantage and immediately crawled on top of him, nipping and sucking on his throat. "Come 'ere."

"AGH ya asked him t' do that didn't ya?!" Joey exclaimed, scowling, and tried to struggle away. He mewled when the brunet's claws sunk into his hips, shivering a little. "Don't do that!"

"You like when I claw you," the older boy reminded him. "Come on. He's giving us an hour to ourselves."

The blond couldn't help giggling. "Gosh, what's your problem. We had sex last night!" He squealed when the white dragon's tail wriggled between his legs and reached up to grab his shoulders. "Seto, come on!"

Seto grumbled and sat up, crossing his arms like a petulant child. "Fine…" He turned and sat by the fire, tail twitching in agitation.

Joey crawled up beside him and sighed. "Ya really wanna have sex? I guess I don't mind."

The brunet rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that really gets me in the mood. 'I guess I don't mind.' So sexy."

The black dragon pouted and sat down beside him. "You're the one that jumped me. Jeez."

"And it's different from when you paw me and ask if I want to do something?"

"…Well…" Joey blushed a little, frowning. "…I guess not."

Seto sighed, then slid his arm around the younger boy's shoulders and pulled him close. After a moment, he turned to gently kiss the top of his head.

Joey turned and smiled up at him, then laid his head on his shoulder and sighed. He reached up to idly play with his mating gem. "…Seto?"

"Hmm?" The brunet tilted his head to lay it on top of the blond's. "What is it?"

"…Ya wanna trade matin' gems now?" he asked quietly.

Seto sat up straight and looked down at him sharply. "Really? You're not teasing me?"

"Dragons don't tease about matin' gems, Seto," Joey deadpanned, as he usually did when he was telling the brunet about dragon norms. He squealed when the older boy grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a rough kiss. "Myu!" He reached up to dig his fingers into the white dragon's hair and moaned loudly.

Seto broke the kiss and began kissing his neck gently. "I… would love… to trade… mating gems… with you…"

"Mm…!" Tilting his head back, he moaned again, arching his hips up slightly. "Seto-!" He whined when the brunet suddenly jerked back and looked up at him, frowning. "Seto?"

"Is there some sort of ceremony we have to do, or do we just trade?" the older boy asked in concern.

Joey blushed a little. "Well, there's usually a ceremony, I think, but…"

"…But you don't know what it is, because you never got to see one," Seto finished quietly. When the blond nodded meekly, appearing upset for not knowing, he dipped his head to kiss him lightly. "Joey, will you accept my mating gem?"

The younger boy blinked, frowning, before his eyes widened with comprehension. "Yeah! Yeah, I do!" He smiled when the brunet leaned in to give him a chaste kiss, then looked up at him again, eyes half-lidded with pleasure. "…Seto, will ya accept mine?"

"Of course I do. I thought you'd never ask," the brunet whispered.

He smiled when the younger boy kissed him lightly and lifted his hands to gently pull the cord holding his red mating gem over his head. He closed his eyes as he felt the cord slipping against his neck and looked up at him, slipping his hand down to pull his own blue gem from his belt, where he kept it when he wasn't wearing it. He hesitated, because he didn't know what spell his parents had used on it and he wondered if it would extend to Joey. When the black dragon merely smiled at him, he smiled again and slipped the chain over his head.

Seto hummed and reached out to stroke the scales of his wings. Apparently it only worked on him. And he was okay with that, because he loved seeing the blond's black scales.

"…You know what else we could do for our ceremony?" Joey asked quietly, smiling.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "…I can imagine."

The blond leaned toward him and purred, "If you can imagine, then you can take my pants off and _do_ it."

The white dragon whined low in his throat, eyes wide, before he snarled and tackled the younger boy backward. "_Mine!_"

Joey squealed but couldn't help giggling as the brunet clawed at his pants. "Seto calm down! We have an hour!"

Seto purred as he leaned over him and murmured, "All the more reason to hurry. I want to do _so many_ things to you because of my imagination that I don't know if I'll get them all finished in an hour." He grinned when the blond giggled again and simply spread his legs. He liked that Joey wanted it.

He especially liked that Joey was allowing himself to want him, too, because that meant they'd both come a long way from the beginning when the blond had felt the need to serve him.


	57. Dare

Author's Note: This chapter has been edited to fit the guidelines of the fanfiction site. The adult version of this story can be found over on adultfanfiction under the same username. There is a link to it on my author's page.

Also, I can't even begin to explain the setting of this story, soooo... I'm sorry. OTL

* * *

Dare

"Sex with Draconians is like having sex with a robot."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Joey took a sip of his drink, frowning, as his brows furrowed together. "They're one of the most sexual aliens in the galaxy."

Tristan shrugged. "Well, the one I had sex with didn't make any emotional connection. He looked me in the eye, but it was more 'I'm doing you a favor' eye contact than 'we are two people sharing each other's bodies and it means at least something to me.'"

"So it was just one. Maybe ya just slept with an asshole." The blond held his hand out to examine his claws. "Ya got any more of that claw protector stuff? My nails are crackin'."

"Uuuuh, let me check." The other Phinoex rummaged around in his bag, frowning a little. "…Hmm. No, I don't have any on me. But it's okay. My sister's been getting a lot of demand for them, so she's been churning them out, and she knows I have friends that can't—" He cut himself off. He knew that Joey didn't like having his money problems out in the open. "…Anyway. After we finish these drinks, let's go pick some up for you."

"Okay." Joey held up his glass, frowning. "There is not enough tequirila in here."

Tristan hissed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's like the drinks just got shittier since Ryou quit. He makes a killer frajihito."

"With the right amount of booze." The blond ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I'm more partial t' redgeritas."

"Yeah, and with the way Ryou made them, I'm surprised you're not dead," the brunet replied, dropping some money on the table. "Come on, let's get out of here. It's just a teenyboppers bar now. We need to find a new place."

Joey ran his claws through his hair. "Could call Bakura and ask where Ryou went. Redgeritas made by Ryou would be really nice."

"Yeah, they would. Come on. Let's get some fortifier on those claws; they're awful."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I had sex with a Phinoex the other night."

"Really?"

"Quite."

Seto leaned his chin on his hand and leaned over the table a little. "Was it any good?"

"It was okay. She was kind of a greedy lover." Atem shrugged. "Got the job done."

"Phinoex are some of the most sexual aliens in the galaxy," the brunet mused.

"Yeah. She kept trying to get me to say 'I love you,' saying it was just a fantasy, but quite frankly, it turned me off. I wigged out, if you will."

Seto twisted his tail around to begin buffing some of his scales. "I've heard they get emotionally attached very quickly. Also, very vanilla. They like missionary style."

"I heard they'll do doggy if you bribe them," Atem added. He smiled a little. "Pretty to look at, but they're not the best lovers unless you're looking for something easy."

"Slutty little things. It never ceases to amaze me how often they come up to me at bars and try to seduce me." Seto frowned a little. "I go to enjoy a good redgerita, not the company of others."

"They've tried, but have you ever said yes?" the other boy asked, raising an eyebrow. When the brunet rolled his eyes in disgust, he continued, "You should shape your own opinion of them. And while you're at it, see if you can convince her to try something new."

"That sounds like too much effort." The white-scaled Draconian sighed and scratched one of his horns. "What's the point if it's not going to be great sex?"

Atem smirked. "You're just afraid you won't be able to convince them to do more."

Seto sat up straight, eyes nearly glowing at the challenge he knew he was being tricked into; he wanted to ignore it, but his cousin was one of the best at figuring out how he ticked, second only to his little brother. "…What are your terms, then?"

The other Draconian leaned forward, holding his fingers out to count as his pale gold scales shimmered in the changing light. "One, you need her to ride you. Two, you need her to masturbate while you watch. And three, you need to get her to _squeal._ Not screaming, not moaning, but _squealing._ Like a Suine."

The older boy blinked. "Do they not squeal normally?"

Atem frowned. "Mostly screams or moans. I miss a good squeal every once and a while."

"…I see." Actually, he didn't see, but Seto knew it would be better to just nod when his cousin was talking about the sexual nuances he preferred.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I missed ya, Ryou. The service at the other bar really went downhill after ya left," Joey stated, smiling, and leaned his elbows on the bar. He began to unconsciously swing his legs back and forth as he sat more comfortably on the stool. "Standards went t' shit after ya left."

"Quite frankly, the standards there were going to shit before I left, which was why I quit. Since I was the only hard worker there, it allowed the patrons to see what shit it truly was," the white-haired Zirsky replied, feline ears twitching as DJ changed songs. "One redgerita, just the way you like it, Joey."

"You're wonderful," the blond moaned, taking the straw between his lips to draw the blended drink into his mouth.

Ryou laughed and rubbed the back of his head, honestly bashful because of the Phinoex's sincere praise. "That's quite the compliment coming from you, Joey." Seeing someone else approaching, he blinked before smiling cheerfully. "Good evening, sir! What can I get for you this evening?"

Joey blinked and turned in surprise, blushing brightly when he found himself staring at the chest of the Draconian standing behind him. He bit his bottom lip. Even if Draconians were robots during sex, it didn't stop them from being incredibly attractive.

The Draconian glanced down at him and smirked, then turned his gaze back on the bartender. "I'll have what he's having."

Ryou glanced back and forth between them, then giggled quietly and began to make another redgerita. "Alright."

Joey's blush darkened as the brunet slid onto the stool beside him, unable to help thinking that the Draconian looked even more attractive when he placed his elbow on the bar and leaned his head in his hand, smirking at him again. "Um. Can I… help ya…?"

"What's your favorite color?"

The Phinoex blinked. "Uh… Oh, um, red, I guess?"

"What a coincidence. I just happen to have a red condom in my wallet."

Joey squeaked in surprise, eyes widening as his cheeks flushed further. This wasn't supposed to happen. Draconians didn't flirt with Phinoex. Phinoex chased them around until they finally just said yes to get it over with, which was partly the cause of the robotic sex. But this man was looking at him with lust-filled eyes and he was licking his lips and showing off his sharp eyeteeth and when he thought about those teeth making hickies on his body he couldn't help but be aroused.

"…What if I hadn't said red?" he asked after a moment, brows furrowing together in confusion.

The brunet leaned toward him and whispered, "I have blue and green in my wallet, too." He smiled when the Phinoex covered his mouth and giggled, cheeks still flushed. "I find those are the three colors that most people say."

"What if they say yellow or orange?"

"Why would I sleep with someone who likes shitty colors like yellow or orange?" the taller man deadpanned.

Joey began giggling all over again. "I see." He peered up at the Draconian from beneath his lashes. "What's your name?"

The brunet leaned toward him, smirking. "It's Seto. What's yours?"

"I'm—um—Joey."

"You had to think?"

At that, the Phinoex ducked his head, frowning in embarrassment; he wrapped his feathery wings around himself as if to hug himself. "…Draconians don't usually talk t' me."

At that, Seto frowned. "But you're so pretty, and I've never seen a blond Phinoex with black feathers."

Joey blushed again and let out a long, nervous squeak as he lifted his wings to hide most of his face, gazing up at the brunet with wide eyes. "We're not entirely uncommon, ya know!"

The brunet tilted his head and smirked. "Well, you're the first one I've seen. Probably a good thing, too; I find I'm incredibly attracted to you, so much so that I just want to scoop you up and carry you away."

The feathered alien squeaked again. He hid his head under his wings, confused. He didn't want to have sex with a robot, but the Draconian was looking at him with so much want that he was starting to feel attracted to him too.

Seto curled his finger over the blond's wings and pulled them down so he could meet his eyes again, smiling. "Might I convince you to join me on a walk?"

"I haven't finished my drink…" Joey began, looking down at his glass, only to blink when he found it empty. "Oh. Well, I guess I have." He looked up at the brunet and smiled bashfully, nibbling his bottom lip. "Well. Maybe. If you're not busy."

The Draconian stood, nodding to the Zirsky bartender and leaving some money on the bar to pay for both of their drinks. He turned back to the blond and smiled again, taking his hand in his own as he began to lead him out of the bar. "Come on."

Joey smiled back at him and tucked his wings back behind him. "Careful, Seto. If you get any nicer, I might just jump ya!"

"Not if I jump you first," the brunet purred.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto looked down at the blond nestled up against his chest, unable to help but squeeze him tighter with the arm wrapped around his shoulders. He hadn't meant for it to happen like this; he'd just planned on sleeping with him and being done with him, but the way he'd looked up at him and smiled so sincerely… He'd felt his heart thudding painfully in his chest and had realized that Joey wasn't the sort of person that would just jump in the sack with the first person that offered.

He wanted to genuinely like the other person before he did anything sexual, which was turning his perception of Phinoex on its head. They weren't needy or clingy; they were just respectful, both to their partners and themselves. Even if it was a quickie, they wanted it to be good for everyone involved.

…He didn't just want sex anymore. He wanted to get to know the blond and find out what made him so… good, just as he was.

Seto stroked his fingers through the blond's hair lightly. "Can I see you again?"

Joey looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, but I thought…" The 'that we were going to have sex' went unspoken, but he let it linger in the air.

The brunet smiled at him. "I did too. But I liked holding your hand and walking with you, too. That's something I would like to pursue."

The Phinoex smiled back bashfully. "Yeah, that sounds good. Um. I'm free on Friday?"

"I'm free on Friday as well. Shall we meet back at the bar again for redgeritas?"

"Yeah, okay." Joey stood, feathers fluffing happily. "Well, I work early tomorrow, so I better go. –Thanks, Seto."

Seto's eyes widened as the blond bent down to kiss his cheek before standing straight again with a giggle. Before he could respond, though, the Phinoex began walking away swiftly.

After a moment, he lifted a hand to his cheek, blushing a little, and couldn't help a smile. He couldn't remember the last time he'd blushed.

…He sort of liked it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…What are you doing?"

Seto jumped. "Agh!"

Atem raised his eyebrows. "Are you dating someone?"

"Um. Well, it's not like I—" The brunet remembered the way the Phinoex had looked up at him after they'd shared dinner and sighed. "…Yeah."

"That's not like you. You said you were waiting to start a real relationship because you weren't interested in being tied down." The smaller man chuckled as the brunet grunted and turned back to the bouquets in front of him. "Well, when am I going to meet her, then?"

Seto scowled. "When I'm damn good and ready for you to meet him, that's when."

Atem blinked. "…Oh. He?"

"Yes. Him. He. Male." _'I like him.'_ "And I don't want you scaring him off." _'Because I want to keep him around for a while.'_

Seto paused as he finally found a simple bouquet of daisies and baby's breath. It would do for Joey. They weren't very far in their relationship, but they were… comfortable. He didn't want to force him into anything too serious, but he wanted to get him something nice. "Yes. These will do." Grabbing the bouquet, he turned to approach the counter.

The other Draconian followed him, smirking. "This must be serious if you're actually getting him flowers."

"Shut up." He thrust the bouquet at the person behind the counter. "This please." Noticing a small box of chocolates—nothing too fancy or lovey-dovey—he thrust it at the other man as well. "This too."

"You don't have to be so friendly," Atem replied sarcastically.

The person checking him out chuckled quietly but quickly covered it with a cough when he saw the brunet's disgruntled expression. "That'll be twenty pags."

Seto muttered about exorbitant fees but passed over the twenty pags.

"Would you like a bag?"

"Why would I need a bag? Do I look helpless?" the brunet asked sharply, glaring at him. When the other man shrunk back, he hissed and took both the bouquet and chocolates and stormed out.

Atem cringed and dropped a two pag tip. "Sometimes I think he might be embarrassed when he does that, but I've recently come to realize he's just an asshole."

The other man shrugged. "That's okay. It was daisies. If they were roses and he was acting like that, then he'd be in trouble."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey smiled as he heard a knock on the door and hurried over to it. "I got us some wine t' go with dinner t'night, so—Oh!" He blushed as the brunet thrust a bouquet of daisies at him, then blushed, smiling up at him shyly. "Aw, Seto, ya didn't hafta do this."

Seto shrugged awkwardly. "…I wanted to."

"That's so nice!" The blond beamed up at him. "Come inside! I made us some spaghetti and meatballs. I put more meatballs on your plate. I'm gonna put these in some water!"

The brunet watched him bustle away and couldn't help a low whine. The Phinoex was really pretty when he smiled like that. And he hadn't even given him the chocolates yet.

Seto walked over to the table and sat down at the plate with more meatballs, because while Phinoex enjoyed meat, they were still an avian alien and they enjoyed grains and seeds more. He was relieved to see that his plate had been made with regular spaghetti instead of the seed-based noodles the blond had made himself.

Joey returned with a very pretty green vase and set the flowers inside it, filling it up halfway with water. He turned his attention back to the Draconian and grinned. "Thanks so much! No one ever gets me flowers!"

The brunet silently vowed to himself that he would bring the other boy flowers every week. "Dinner looks good."

"Thanks!" The Phinoex's feathers fluffed proudly. "I even went out and bought special noodles for ya!"

Seto thought about telling him that the seeded noodles were actually the special ones reserved specifically for Phinoex, but decided not to burst his bubble, because he looked so happy. He didn't want to ruin it. So, he smiled, took a bite of a meatball…

And promptly spat it back out.

"…This one has birdseed in it."

Joey blushed brightly, frowning in concern. "I musta given ya one o' mine! Sorry!"

Seto rolled his eyes and sighed, unable to help thinking it was somewhat funny. He began cutting his meatballs in half to examine them and simply pushed them onto Joey's plate. "It's fine. It's actually sort of… cute."

The blond jerked his gaze down to his plate bashfully, the corners of his lips twitching up into a smile. "Oh. Okay. Um-! I forgot the wine!"

The Draconian watched him get up and scamper to the fridge to grab the bottle. When he saw the blond struggling with the corkscrew to get the cork out, though, he stood and walked up behind him. "Here. Hold the neck here—" He placed his hand over the blond's and curled his fingers around the bottle. "And twist the screw in like this—" He positioned the blond's hand over the corkscrew and began carefully turning it so the metal screw was imbedded firmly in the cork. "Okay, now that's in there good and tight, you grab these levers—"

"The little man's arms?"

Seto snorted in amusement. "N—Well, yes, I suppose the corkscrew does look like a person. Yes, pull down on his arms. No, keep your hand on the bottle so you don't knock it over. That's why my hand is on yours. Now take your other hand and pull down on its arms."

Joey's tongue began to stick out in concentration as he pulled down on the corkscrew's levers, smiling proudly when the cork began to move upward. Once it reached the top, though, he was unprepared for it to just pop out. "Agh!"

Seto gripped his hand and the bottle beneath it tightly with his own. "That's why we hold the bottle. It would be a shame to knock the bottle over and waste that wine after all our hard work."

"I guess when I asked for help pickin' out this wine, I shoulda asked how t' open it, too," the Phinoex muttered in embarrassment, turning to look up at him.

The brunet smiled. "No, I liked teaching you. I liked helping you, too—" He froze when he looked down at the blond, blushing a little when he saw the honestly affectionate gaze burning into him. "…Joey."

"Yeah?" Joey asked quietly, smiling at him.

Seto opened his mouth, but nothing came out. But Joey didn't look upset. He just kept smiling, looking a little more amused, but no less warm. "…Dinner is going to get cold," he finally muttered.

The blond smiled sweetly. "'kay. Sit down and I'll pour this."

"…Okay." The Draconian released his hands, but he lingered a few moments longer to continue touching him before he moved back to his seat.

Joey poured the white wine and smiled at him as he sat down as well. "You'll hafta tell me if it's good. I wanted t' get a wine that you'd like, but they kept showin' me expensive stuff and got kinda pissy when I said I wanted somethin' that wouldn't break my bank."

Seto frowned. "…Joey?"

"Yeah?" Joey looked up at him, mouth full of seedy meatball.

The brunet couldn't help but smile. "…I'll get the wine from now on. I'll teach you about it myself, so we can actually take time, and I won't get pissy if you prefer the ones that you can afford over the expensive ones."

The Phinoex blushed a little, smiling back at him sweetly. "That sounds nice."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto watched the fire crackle and sighed, giving the blond's shoulders a squeeze. "How do you like it?"

"It's nice and fruity. I like it better than last week's," Joey replied, taking a sip of his red wine.

The brunet chuckled quietly. "You mean the one that you said felt like you were being punched in the mouth?"

"I didn't know what it meant when ya said it was really dry!" the younger man exclaimed, frowning.

The Draconian chuckled again and leaned over to kiss the top of his head. "You're right; I should have explained that better. But I thought you'd know better than to just take a huge mouthful of a drink you'd never had before. Remember, if it's new, you sip it."

Joey rolled his eyes but couldn't help laughing a little as well. He turned his head to look up at the brunet, smiling. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Seto snorted and took a sip of his own wine. "Of course I am."

The blond stared up at him for a few minutes, still smiling, before it slowly began to fade. He felt a knot of nervousness forming in his stomach, but he didn't know why; they'd been going out for a few months now. "…Seto?"

"Hmm?" The older man looked down at him and smiled. "Yes?"

"…What's your favorite color?"

Seto raised an eyebrow as he watched the blond's cheeks beginning to turn pink. "…Blue, I suppose."

Joey bit his bottom lip, then smiled again, purring, "What a coincidence. I just happen t' have a bottle of blue-colored lube in my bedroom."

The brunet froze, stunned. He'd been so busy getting to know the Phinoex that he'd forgotten all about bedding him. "…Oh."

The younger boy frowned in concern. That wasn't the immediate 'yes show me I want to do it' he'd been expecting. "…So… no, then?"

"…Quite frankly, I'd forgotten all about sex," the Draconian deadpanned. "I like cuddling with you."

"…So… ya don't wanna?" Joey asked quietly, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Seto grabbed the stemless glass from the blond's hand and slammed it onto the table beside his own, then scooped the younger alien into his arms and stood. "Now that you've said it, I've never been hornier in my entire life."

The blond blushed, then giggled and threw his arms around the Draconian's neck. "Yay!"

Seto carried the blond into his bedroom and plopped him down on the bed, then turned to kick the door shut. When the Phinoex muttered to himself about respecting his house, he turned back to him and leapt on top of him. "_Mine!_"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey panted weakly and lifted one of his hands to dig into the brunet's hair. "Oh my… Jeez, Seto… Damn, you were so good…!"

The older boy purred quietly, smirking. "Well, it wasn't squealing, but those screams will do."

The blond blinked up at him in confusion. "What?"

"…Uh." He immediately wanted to take it back. He didn't want to hurt Joey. But when the younger boy looked up at him, he couldn't lie, and he knew he deserved whatever he got. "…My cousin… dared me that I couldn't get a Phinoex to ride me, or masturbate in front of me, or squeal."

He dipped his head in shame, hiding his face in the blankets because he _really_ liked the blond but he knew he was going to be kicked out for making it a bet instead of the loving action it should have been.

Seto blinked when the Phinoex giggled. He sat up straight to look down at him. "What-?"

Joey giggled again. "That's okay. I bet my friend I couldn't make a Draconian blush or let me ride 'em. He always said Draconians are bossy and too mean t' let anyone on top, and they're so robotic they don't know how t' blush!"

"…I am not bossy!" the brunet exclaimed, glaring at him.

The younger boy sighed and glanced away.

"I am not!"

"…Right."

"_I AM NOT BOSSY AND I AM CERTAINLY NOT MEAN SO YOU TAKE THAT BACK THIS INSTANT YOU PAIN IN THE HORNS!_"

"I'm sorry, what were ya sayin' about not bein' bossy?"

Seto rolled his eyes and growled in the back of his throat, then flopped forward again, burying his face in the blankets. "Oh, shut up."

Joey slid his arms around his shoulders and began kissing his neck. "Hey. Hey, Seto."

"…What?"

"…I think you're really handsome when ya blush."

The brunet chuckled and turned to kiss him gently. "Thank you, Joey."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Tristan leaned his chin on his hands and leaned forward, grinning. "I know what that smile means! How'd it go? Was he good?"

Joey giggled and tilted his head. "Wouldn't you like t' know?"

The brunet frowned. "What!? Come on, Joey! –I'll buy your drinks for the entire night!" When the other boy turned his gaze away, still smiling a coy sort of smile, he added, "I'll throw in five bottles of claw fortifier for _free!_"

"Hmmm, welllll…" The blond nibbled his bottom lip, then shrugged, still smiling. "It was great."

"You can't just say it was great and not give me details!" Tristan exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Actually, yeah, I can." Joey smiled brightly. "Suck on that!"

The other Phinoex was about to throw a fit until he saw another person sliding into the side beside his friend. As he watched the Draconian set a redgerita in front of the blond and slid his arm over his shoulders to hug him close, then gasped, jerking back in his seat. "Whoa! No way!"

Joey laid his head on the brunet's shoulder and smiled.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "No way what?" He looked down at the younger boy and frowned when he merely giggled in response. "No way, what?"

"He thinks it's impossible that I'm goin' with a Draconian because you're all robots," the blond replied, smiling.

The older boy stared at him for a few moments, blinking slowly, before asking, "Going where?" He scowled as the other brunet began laughing and turned to glare at him.

Joey cupped his cheeks, smiling, and drew him down for a kiss. "You're adorable, Seto."

"Why?! What have I done?!"

The blond kissed him again. "You've been yourself."

Seto rolled his eyes and growled in frustration. Sometimes he just didn't understand Phinoex—Joey especially—at all. He was appeased, though, when the younger boy began to kiss and nibble his neck. "…Alright then."

Joey turned to grin at his friend. "By the way, you owe me ten pags."

"Ah?!" Tristan immediately stopped laughing, looking at him with wide eyes. "You mean he let you ride him?!"

"Yes. It was glorious," Seto stated, and couldn't help a smirk as the two Phinoex began blushing. "I thought Phinoex were supposed to be some of the most sexual aliens in the galaxy?"

"Funny, that's what we say about you," Joey retorted, scowling a little. "'m not nearly as sexual as you, asshole, so why wouldja—"

"You are _just_ as sexual as I am, you little minx, and I'll have you know that sex in the shower was your idea."

Joey's cheeks flushed darker as Tristan began to laugh again, turning to take a long, hard sip of his redgerita.

But it was okay, because then Seto's hand slid down and began rubbing up and down his side to take some of the sting of embarrassment from the comment. He was okay with that, especially because they'd be leaving for a walk after their drinks and Seto had hinted at going out to dinner, too.


	58. Rainbow Butterflies

Author's Note: This is so AU, I don't even…

I started this with only the basic premise. This is not fleshed out the way I wanted. But it's still pretty good, I think, so take it with a grain of salt.

And somehow I've cemented Seto's fetish for Joey's accent in my mind forever.

And thank you, anonymous, for everything!

* * *

Rainbow Butterflies

"Seth?"

Seto closed his eyes and sighed, then lifted his hand and rubbed them tiredly. "She's gone, mutt. There's no need to call me that any longer."

Joey flinched a little. Kisara had been dead for several months already, but this was the first time Seto had admitted it out loud. Joey had never met her, but the priest had been smitten with her.

He hadn't been allowed to serve him while she'd been alive; slavery upset her, apparently, and Seto had just loved her so much that he'd sent away the ones that weren't necessary for the running of his household to stay with his cousin. It had hurt, knowing that the priest thought he was unnecessary. It had almost been enough to make him stay with the Pharaoh.

But he hadn't, because Seto had been distraught, and Joey had always been a glutton for pain. He still remembered the day Seto had come home from the market, had ordered the servants to call him Seth, and then he'd been sent away with dozens of other slaves as his new mistress had moved in.

Seto had seemed really happy. Joey almost wished he could have met her.

Joey bit his bottom lip, then smiled, moving closer to the bed. "I could make butterflies!"

Seto rolled his eyes irritably. "No, Joey."

"…Oh." The blond frowned. "…Flowers?"

"_No._ Whatever it is you wanted to tell me, mutt, just say it and get out."

Joey flinched, shoulders hunching up at the brisk dismissal. "…Oh. …Your cousin's here, Master," he murmured, ducking his head.

Seto sat up quickly. "And you wanted to show me butterflies and flowers?! I've put off my cousin so long that making him wait is unacceptable, and you want to show me _butterflies and flowers!?_"

The blond cringed, trying to make himself even smaller. "'m sorry, Master." He hesitated, then turned, shouldering off his tunic as he bent down to offer his back for a beating.

The priest was torn between wanting to hit the younger boy and wanting to hit himself. He _knew_ Joey had been trained to present himself for punishment by the slaver he'd bought him from, but he'd hoped he'd eventually grow out of it, especially while he was with his cousin. Apparently, that had not been the case, and he worried about what Atem would think of him if Joey had done that in front of him. He didn't beat his slaves unless they did something completely unforgiveable to a guest, and even then, he never beat them like the slavers had.

Seto gripped his hands into his fists as he stood, and he saw Joey flinch. He'd have to get used to the gypsy again; his way of life had differed vastly from his own, even before he was a slave. He had quirks he couldn't grow out of and now he had to get used to serving him again after serving at the palace.

Joey flinched as he felt the brunet's hand on his shoulder, biting his bottom lip. "Nh!"

"Joey, put your clothes back on," Seto sighed, ruffling his hair. "And draw a bath."

The blond stood up straight. "With sandalwood-?"

"Whatever you want, Joey."

"…Alright…" Joey watched him trudge out, frowning, and looked down at his feet.

Seto always looked so tired now. He'd truly loved Kisara and had tried to nurse her through her illness. And then she'd succumbed. Even the Pharaoh had mourned her passing. She must have been a wonderful person.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands as he walked into his bath quarters. His cousin had alternated scolding him and trying to comfort him. It was exhausting; it had felt a lot like pity and he'd had to bite his tongue several times to keep from snarling. Even if the Pharaoh was his cousin, that would be unacceptable.

He paused as he smelled sandalwood and roses, unable to help a smile when he remembered the magic gypsies could weave with scents alone. He could already feel himself relaxing, and he wasn't even in the water yet.

Seto opened his eyes, letting his hands fall to sides as he looked down at the water. "You never cease to amaze me, Joey."

Joey smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "D—" He flinched in hesitation, then tried again. "Do you need me to wash your back, Master?"

The brunet reached out to cup his cheek. "Not today." He tilted his head a little. "What happened to your accent?"

"…I don't know," the younger boy replied quietly, frowning. "I guess it left."

Seto snorted, but he didn't explain that accents didn't just simply _leave._ "Well, that's a shame. I liked listening to it."

The blond looked up at him sadly, then smiled the same half-smile he had before. "Would you like me to turn down your sheets, Master?"

The priest paused, frowning a little. "You can call me Seto, you know."

Joey bit his bottom lip, then ducked his head, knocking the brunet's hand from his cheek. "Alright."

Seto waited a moment for the actual use of his name, but it soon became clear to him that it wasn't coming. He frowned and cupped his cheeks gently, tilting the gypsy's head back up so he could meet his eyes. "Why aren't you using my name? Certainly your time at the palace couldn't have trained you out of that—"

His breath hitched when he saw the tears filling the blond's eyes, his own widening when he saw the way his teeth were digging into his lip to defiantly keep any of them from falling. "Joey—"

"I have other duties to attend to," Joey stated, voice surprisingly firm. "Please enjoy your bath."

Seto blinked as the younger boy ducked his head and walked past him, then turned to watch him go, brows furrowing together in confusion as the doors shut behind him. "…I must have underestimated how much the palace would change him," he mused, then sighed and began shedding his clothes. It had been months since he'd had a bath drawn by the gypsy and he was going to enjoy it to the fullest extent.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sighed, brows furrowing together with annoyance when he heard the clinking of dishes. "I am only going to say this _one more time,_ mutt_._ I am uninterested in eating. If I'm hungry, I will tell you. This is a flagrant waste of food and such disregard for my previous orders is beginning to irk me."

Joey's fingers stilled in making the bouquet more presentable as he listened to the brunet speak. Once he was finished, however, he continued as if he hadn't heard him. Even if Seto always told him not to, he still ate it whenever he brought it. He was skipping too many meals as it was, so any food he could get into him, the better.

"I've brought some figs. I know you like those."

"I'm not hungry."

"—And some wine, too. I know you prefer it for lunch, but I really think you'd like—"

"I am not _hungry,_ mutt."

"…It'll go well with the—"

"I AM NOT HUNGRY!" Seto snarled, sitting up and smacking the tray with the back of his hand so it fell to the ground.

Joey hurriedly caught the clay vase, but the dishes of food shattered at his feet as the brass chalice clattered noisily and splattered wine across his clothes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out with a long sigh and opened them again, placing the vase back on the table. "Alright."

The priest frowned as he watched the gypsy kneel and pick up the tray so he could scoop the broken crockery onto it, feeling guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach. The blond had only been doing his duty and making sure he stayed healthy. He knew he should eat more, he just… didn't want to. And he'd given Joey permission to ignore his orders if he saw that he was blatantly ignoring his own needs.

Seto frowned as he saw the blond's hand stiffen for a moment and reached down to grab his wrist. He sighed when he saw the thin line of blood along the side of his index finger and pulled his hand closer. "You should be more careful."

Joey flinched as the brunet drew his hand to his mouth so he could suck on his finger to clean it and yanked his hand back quickly, his fingers slipping from the priest's swiftly while he was surprised. He began stacking the broken crockery and ruined food faster, not caring that he was cutting his hands up more.

There was still a little more food on the floor, and there was a puddle of wine, and he knew there were still a bunch of small shards left to be picked up, but as the priest stood, he grabbed the tray and got up as well, scurrying for the door.

Seto scowled and caught his arm, dragging him back. "Come here."

Yelping as he was forced to drop the tray again, he flinched as he slammed up against the brunet's hard chest. "Ah!"

"Just what do you think you're doing?" the priest snapped, glaring at him. "You don't call me by name anymore, you've taken great care to speak without your accent, and now you won't let me take care of you when you're injured? I don't know what happened to make you so disagreeable, but I am still your master and you will act like it!"

Joey flinched, biting his bottom lip as the brunet gripped his wrist so tightly that he felt tears forming in his eyes in pain. "Ouch-!"

Seto grabbed his shoulders and shook him firmly, but not so much that he'd hurt him further. "Tell me what's wrong!"

The gypsy sobbed. "You told me I was precious to you and then you sent me away!"

"I… what?" The older man frowned. "…What are you…?"

"You told me I was precious to you and that you needed me!" Joey exclaimed, looking up at him. "You said that I was irreplaceable and the greatest boon you'd ever received! And then you sent me away!" He sobbed and reached up to grab the brunet's wrists. "You sent me away like I was nothing. I was so ashamed, trying to figure out what had changed that you didn't think I was necessary anymore. You kept others you didn't even know but you sent me away just to keep Kisara happy. That wasn't fair!"

"Don't pretend to know why I made that decision!" Seto snapped, glaring at him. "You didn't have any idea of what was going on at the time! I am your master and I know more than you could ever hope to! Don't presume that you could ever understand!"

Joey bit his bottom lip again, taking in a deep breath. He seemed like he was going to say something, but then he jerked to the side, ripping himself from the brunet's grip and running from the room as if the gods themselves were chasing him.

Seto looked down at the blood on his wrists from the gypsy's hands and knew immediately that he'd said every wrong thing that could have been said. He hadn't wanted that—had never wanted that. Joey had been exactly that—a treasure—and it had killed him to send him away, but Kisara was so uncomfortable ordering people around that he'd sent the personal slaves away, leaving no one but the ones that kept his rooms, cooked, and saw to his stables.

It wasn't that Joey was wrong. It was just his reasoning that was.

And he'd made the gypsy think that he was unnecessary. He'd never wanted that, but looking back, that was really the only conclusion he'd left him to draw.

.-.-.-.-.-.

When Seto finally found him again, it was in the courtyard with a large piece of papyrus and a piece of charcoal, three days later. He peeked over the blond's shoulder to see what he was writing before he made himself known, to see if he could figure out what the younger boy had been doing the whole time. He rolled his eyes when he saw the strange squiggles and lines that the gypsy people used in their writings. He shouldn't have expected anything different.

Circling the blond carefully, he sat down beside him on the marble bench. "…Joey."

"AGH!" Joey jumped, lurching backward and falling off of the bench as he threw the scroll up in surprise.

Seto couldn't help but catch it, even as he had the fleeting thought that he really should have caught the blond instead. Paper didn't bruise. Flesh did. And Joey was already mad at him.

Joey leapt up as soon as he hit the ground, sitting down on the bench again with a baffled expression as he turned to see who his visitor was. He immediately blanched and jumped out of his seat, about to turn and bow in greeting.

The priest rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of his toga to drag him back onto the bench. "Sit down, Joey."

"GAH!"

He rolled the papyrus into a scroll and pressed it into his hands. "What are you writing?"

The gypsy blushed and hugged the scroll to his chest. "…It's just something I remember my parents mentioning. I wanted to get it all down."

"I see."

The two sat there for several minutes, just silent. Joey didn't know what to say and Seto knew but didn't know _how_ to say it. Finally, though, the blond stood again. "I have to go help with the—"

"Please stay."

The blond turned to look at him, frowning, but sat down obediently. "Alright."

Seto sighed and looked up at the sky, brows furrowing together in frustration as he tried to figure out what to say. He knew the younger boy was getting impatient, though, and even though he knew not to question his master, he could almost feel the tension coming from him in waves. "…Joey, I'm sorry."

Joey blinked slowly as he looked up at him, lips still curved into a frown. He didn't know what the priest was apologizing for exactly, but he knew he wasn't going to explain himself, so he was just going to guess. "You're my master. You had every right to scold me—"

The brunet sighed again. "No."

"…That's not the first tray you've knocked to the ground—"

"No."

"…You just wanted to make Kisara happy, so you had every right to send me—"

"No."

Joey's frown deepened. "…Oh. Okay."

"…Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you can't stand it when they're gone?" Seto asked after a few moments, turning his gaze on the fountain.

He missed the way the blond smiled at him, eyes gleaming with affection. "Of course."

"…I didn't know I could love someone so truly and deeply until I met Kisara."

"It's scary, isn't it?"

The priest looked down at him, smiling a little when he saw the love in the blond's eyes. He hoped to meet the person that made him so happy one day. "I was terrified. But I couldn't stay away."

Joey smiled thinly. "Yes, I know that feeling, too."

Seto sighed and looked back at the fountain, imagining that she was there again, sitting on the edge of it and laughing as the water misted her as it fell, the light making rainbows shine around her. "I miss her. It hurts to think of her, but I can't bring myself to stop."

"The ache will fade, but it never goes away," the gypsy stated quietly, turning his gaze on the fountain as well. "If you just let it hurt, it will get better on its own. You'll realize that you still love her and miss her, but that you'll also be okay in the end, especially because she'll be waiting for you."

The priest took a few minutes to digest what he'd said, then quietly asked, "Is your love gone, too, Joey?"

"…Yes, and no," the blond replied, then set the scroll down on the bench. He stood and dusted himself off. "My love is very far away. I can never get them back. All I can do is hope they will be happy on their own, because I can't have them."

"…I could arrange something for the two of you. A marriage, perhaps," Seto began, but then the gypsy looked at him with eyes full of love, sadness, and acceptance. "She won't have you?"

"They never really wanted me. And even if you could arrange a marriage between me and the person that doesn't love me, it would be improper, a slave marrying someone so high of rank." Joey smiled a sad, small smile, then walked over to the fountain.

Seto leaned forward a little, watching as the gypsy dipped his hand below the water and then scooped it up, throwing it into the air. It shimmered in the light as the fluid quickly separated into smaller amounts, the pieces of water slowly taking on shape, flooding into thin wings, delicate bodies, the tiniest, spindliest legs.

He watched the butterflies begin to flutter around as if they were the real creatures, the light shining through them causing miniature rainbows to shimmer on the ground. He couldn't help but laugh. Even if Kisara didn't like slavery, she would have appreciated Joey's delicate magic and why Seto insisted on keeping him. He held his breath unconsciously as the blond dipped his hands into the water again, watching as it sluiced out past him and began to approach the bench.

Long, strong stems formed from the shapeless mass and planted themselves firmly in the ground. The thick stalks propelled upward proudly, a thick knob at the top twisting about until a flower unfurled its petals. He wondered what color they'd be in real life, though he couldn't imagine anything more beautiful than the shimmers of vague color as light passed through it.

"Are these flowers from your home, Joey?" he asked, lifting his head. He blinked when he found the blond distracted with something on his face, then couldn't help a laugh—the first laugh he'd had in months, ever since Kisara had died. "I thought you controlled these yourself, gypsy!"

"Sometimes I remember when this happened when I was a kid with a real butterfly and it just happens!" Joey exclaimed grumpily, trying to wave the butterfly off of his face. "Get off my face, bug!"

"Kisara would have loved you, Joey!" the brunet exclaimed, before he bent over to continue laughing.

Joey blushed and turned his back toward him quickly, just so he couldn't see his face and how hot it burned at the thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You're still writing a lot."

"AGH."

Seto watched the blond leap over his table, crushing the charcoal in his hand as he somehow flipped and landed on his face. He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried that you always jump and hurt yourself when I disturb you?"

Joey laughed nervously and rolled his parchment into a scroll. "No, I just get carried away sometimes!"

"…You are certainly bizarre," the brunet mused, smiling a little. "Draw me a bath."

"I don't have anything to draw with anymore."

Seto tilted his head, eyebrows raised. "…Joey."

"What?!"

"Draw. Me. A. Bath." When the younger boy blinked at him, still too startled to comprehend, he added, "Perhaps with sandalwood?"

Joey stared at him a few moments longer, then yelped and scampered away in the direction of his bath chamber. "AGH!"

The priest chuckled, crossing his arms as he leaned against the table in amusement. He'd forgotten how endearing the gypsy slave was without even meaning to be; it was simply his personality that made him likeable.

His smile faded a little at that. He'd sent Joey away. He sincerely regretted that now.

Joey had become more comfortable around him again in the past few months, but he still wouldn't call him by name, and his accent never even made an appearance anymore. When he'd first come back, the blond would slip and mutter something with his accent, but now he spoke perfect Egyptian.

It was irksome. More than that—it was saddening.

Seto glanced down at the table and sighed, then blinked when he saw another scroll sitting beside a lit candle. Joey had probably been about to seal it. Grabbing the papyrus carefully, he unfurled it.

'"_To Yugi?" Who is Yugi? Was he the one that taught him to write with hieroglyphs?'_ He'd tried to teach Joey in the past, but he'd never gotten past the basics. Seto rolled his eyes when he unfurled the paper further and found the rest of the writing in his gypsy scrawl. _'I guess Yugi is a gypsy, too. And Joey will never learn more than the basics.'_

He rolled the scroll back up, tapping it against his open palm thoughtfully. Joey had been doing a lot of scribbling to himself lately in his spare time, so much so that he'd pass the library on a late-night stroll and find him passed out across the table. He was planning something.

A gypsy was a dangerous creature when it planned.

Seto blanched at the thought. Joey would certainly never scheme to hurt him. Would he? He _had_ been terribly wounded when he'd sent him away, but then he'd come back and tried so hard to cheer him up that it just seemed impossible for him to try and hurt him all over again.

'_You're thinking about this too much, Seto,'_ the priest told himself firmly, turning and walking toward his bath quarters. _'Joey won't do anything to hurt you; he's disgustingly loyal. Gypsies are just… bizarre, that's all. Joey especially so.'_

His nose was soon assaulted by the scent of sandalwood and sage. He smiled as he walked into the room and sighed. "Is this part of your magic, too?"

"No, aromatherapy is a very old art and gypsies just happen to spend the first ten years of their lives learning it," Joey retorted, turning toward him. He paled a little when he saw the scroll still in the brunet's hand. "Uh."

"Smells good." Seto looked down at the scroll in his hand, surprised because he'd forgotten to put it back down, then turned to the blond and smiled. "Who's Yugi? Another gypsy? I don't remember acquiring another one."

"Uh. He… works at the palace," the younger boy explained softly. "The Pharaoh said I could contact him if I wanted to…"

"I see. I'll have this sent by courier then."

"Oh." Joey blinked up at him, surprised, then smiled bashfully. "Thank you."

Seto raised an eyebrow as the blond stood from his kneeling position and began toward the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

The gypsy blinked up at him, frowning. "…I was just… going to see to the washing…"

"Then who is going to wash my back?"

"…I… Oh. You haven't asked for help in such a long time, I thought—" Joey blushed a little and bit his bottom lip as the brunet began to strip.

The priest glanced up at him and waved his hand. "Joey, I don't expect you to get your clothes wet. You can bathe as well."

"…Uh." The blond blushed brightly and hurriedly began stripping off his own clothes, even as the older man walked past him and slid into the large marble pool. "Coming!"

Seto turned to watch the younger boy slip into the water as well, taking in the scars on his back as he turned to grab some towels. He wondered what the scars were from—some gypsy ritual gone wrong, or from being trained by the slavers he'd been bought from?

Joey turned to look up at him, smiling. "Would you like me to help you with the body oil afterward, too?"

"…Yes," the brunet replied slowly, reaching out to grab the younger boy's hips. He pulled him close and leaned his forehead against the blond's. "I am about to make an incredibly indecent proposal."

The gypsy blinked up at him slowly. "Um, alright."

"It's been several months since I've… been intimate with someone," Seto explained slowly. He paused, then continued, "You offered your physical services to me before I met Kisara, and the intercourse we had was excellent. Would you consider continuing with that arrangement?"

Joey blinked again. "You'd be okay with that? You're still hurting. I wouldn't want you to realize you didn't want it after we started, and—"

"I've been thinking about it for several days, Joey. I've considered all there is. It's just for the release, after all—I'm not going to forget Kisara, but I need _something._"

The younger boy frowned. "Oh. Well, if you're sure, I guess… Alright. Whatever you want." He bit his bottom lip. "Would you like me to wash your back now-?"

He mewed as the brunet dipped his head to kiss him and let his eyes drift closed, even though he could tell that the older boy was used to holding a woman just by the way he touched him. He dug his teeth into his bottom lip and whimpered. If Seto needed to pretend he was holding Kisara again, he'd give him that.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto blinked as he found a scroll with unfamiliar writing on it. "Hmm. I wonder—Oh." He raised an eyebrow when he saw the careful lettering of his gypsy slave's name on the wax seal. "Must be a response from Yugi."

He tapped the scroll gently, then rolled his eyes. Even if he opened it, he wouldn't be able to read it. Clearly, it would be written in the gypsy scrawl that had become familiar to him. He couldn't read it, but he recognized letters and words sometimes from when the blond had tried to teach him to read it and had gotten frustrated with himself and quit, muttering about how he was a bad teacher because he had no patience whatsoever.

Joey had put all of his papyrus notes on the walls of his small room, covered them completely with the starchy paper, and had scrawled even more across any empty space he could. Lines upon lines of disconnected sentences and words filled his room. He couldn't see any rhyme or reason for it, but when he peeked in on the younger boy, he was always standing in there, turning in slow circles as he looked at all he'd written.

Seto looked at the scroll and wondered vaguely where Joey would put it. Eventually, though, he shrugged, grabbing the rest of the scrolls he'd gotten in one arm and walking toward his library. He paused at the blond's room to peek in on him again.

Joey was standing at the wall opposite the door, smudging out some words and carefully scribbling more in their place. He stepped back to examine the sheet of papyrus again, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he hummed.

The priest cleared his throat. "Joey."

The blond yelped and whipped around quickly, flinging the piece of charcoal he was holding at him. "AGH."

Seto watched the charcoal bounce off his shoulder and watched it land on the floor, staring at it for a moment. He looked up at the blond again. "…I suppose that was better than falling down." He couldn't help a chuckle when he saw the black smudges on his face. "You got a reply from your friend."

Joey squeaked gleefully and rushed over to grab the scroll. "Yay!"

The brunet jerked it out of his reach. "You might want to wipe your hands first."

The gypsy wiped his hands impatiently on his toga and finally yanked the scroll from his hands, scampering over to the window so he could use the light from it to read.

Seto chuckled as he watched the blond break the wax seal, nearly bouncing with anticipation as he rolled it open. "I'll leave you to yourself again, then." He paused, glancing around at all of the paper hung in his room, then chuckled again. He was so endearing, and it almost seemed as if their roles had been traded as he added, "Don't forget to eat something."

"Yessssss."

The brunet rolled his eyes. He assumed it was good news.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey traced his fingers over a few letters, smearing them lightly. He paused, scratching his cheek thoughtfully, then lifted his hand to carefully write the symbols again.

He blinked as he saw the letters and actually took them in, actually digested them. He frowned.

K-I-S-A-R-A

He took a step back and looked at all of the other pieces of papyrus he'd plastered on his walls.

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

He'd felt something in his heart break a little the first time Seto had called him that while he'd used his body. The broken part had strengthened his resolve, though.

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

Seto had loved her. He'd become smitten with her the first time he'd seen her and the love had followed swiftly after.

"_Why did we have to call you Seth after you met her?"_

"_She said that I looked more like a Seth than a Seto, whatever that means. I didn't really think to ask. It doesn't matter anymore."_

He loved her enough to call himself another name to amuse her. He loved her enough to send away personal slaves that he had rapport with to keep her comfortable. He loved her enough to try and nurse her through her illness himself after the healers had told him there was no more they could do. He loved her with all of his heart and all of his soul because when Seto wanted to do something, that's just the way he did it—with all of himself.

Joey took a step back and looked at his walls again.

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

"_Kisara would have loved you, Joey."_

Joey lifted his hand and placed it on the papyrus, swiping it through dozens of words and smearing them. He brought his hand back down to look at it, frowning. The crushed charcoal fell into every line and wrinkle of his hand, making it look smoother than it actually was, softening the hard plains of calluses and leveling each wrinkle into once mass of smooth, even flesh. He turned his hand over. It had gotten under his nails, making them look grimy and unkempt.

These were not lovers' hands. These were the hands of a slave.

Joey retreated to the middle of the room, turning to examine the papyrus again before nodding to himself. He knew what to do. He had figured out the problem with all of the other rituals that had failed. He just hoped that everything went according to plan.

He walked over to the table and wiped his hands, getting most of the black dust off of them, and reached out for a quill to dip into the well of ink Seto had given him. He didn't want his letter to Yugi to smear when he rolled it up like it had last time when he'd thoughtlessly used charcoal for it.

He scratched each letter, each word, with the painstaking concentration he'd given his research, then waited for the ink to dry as he set a candle to burning. He looked at the ring Seto had given him, wondering why he needed something to press into the hot wax after he'd sealed the scroll. Seto had said it would be useful, though, so he shrugged, poured the hot wax to seal down the edge of the papyrus scroll, and pressed the ring into it. Once it had cooled, he carefully carved Yugi's name into it, muttering about how hard it was to see with the ridges in it from the ring.

Then, he took it to one of the other slaves who went to market every day, asking her to please get it to one of the palace slaves that also shopped there. It would take a while to get to Yugi. He was depending on that.

She watched him walk away, baffled, then turned the scroll over in her hands. She blanched when she saw the wax, the way a ring had shaped it to look like a dragon despite the way another person's name had been carved in on top of it, and hurriedly passed the scroll off to a courier.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Where did you put her body?"

Seto raised an eyebrow even as he stroked the blond's side lightly with his fingers. "That's a rather disgusting question to be asking."

"Well I would hope that if you loved her so much you wouldn't leave her to rot."

The brunet rolled his eyes. "She's in a temple a few hours' ride from here. I gave her the best to take with her to the afterlife."

Joey hummed. "…I'd like to see it."

Seto stilled, frowning. He didn't want him to. He wanted to keep Kisara's resting place all to himself. He wanted to protect it.

He almost wanted to slap himself. Kisara wouldn't have wanted that.

"It's a few hours to the east. I've got duties to attend to for the next few days, but I'll take you there when I have free time, alright?"

Joey looked up at him and smiled, nodding in agreement, even though he knew it would never be able to happen.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Yugi, you've gotten a letter. From my cousin, it looks like," Atem stated, a little surprised. "Strange."

"It's probably from Joey," Yugi replied, taking the scroll from him. He broke the wax and opened the scroll, smiling when he saw his friend's messy writing. "Yes, it is." He was pleased. Joey was a good friend.

Atem watched the gypsy read the scroll, smiling a little because the innocent boy was made happy by the smallest things. His smile began to fade as the younger boy frowned, his brows furrowing together the further down the page his eyes moved. "Yugi? Is something wrong?"

The younger boy looked up at him, eyes wide with terror. "He's going to do something awful, your highness. He's going to do the ritual—the one I told you about—and he says he's found a way to make it work but it's _always_ gone so wrong, every single time!"

Atem frowned, then scowled. "Well we can't just let him do it. Come on. We might still have time to stop him."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto looked up from the white fire he'd conjured, frowning, then turned, fire fading from his hands as he moved to the front of the temple. Something felt wrong. He didn't know what it was, but something was _wrong._

He raised an eyebrow as his cousin approached, blinking as he saw a slave with him that looked his perfect miniature. He opened his mouth to ask a vague 'what in the world,' but then the slave scampered up to him, looking worried. "Where's Joey?"

Seto frowned. "He's probably seeing to a meal for me or cleaning the linens. If he's not there, he's probably in his—"

He didn't have a chance to say 'room,' because his cousin stepped forward and cut in, "We think he's about to make a terrible, irreversible mistake, cousin. We think he is going to try and bring Kisara back from the afterlife at the expense of his own."

The priest stared at him for a few moments, then turned, walking quickly toward his room. The linens had been cleaned, the bed remade. He stared at it for a moment, then turned and went to the kitchens. Joey wasn't there, but a slave had seen him and informed him that the tray Joey had asked to be put together was almost finished, and she'd bring it to him when it was finished if he liked.

Seto went to Joey's room next. He didn't want to admit he was running, because he didn't want to appear panicked, but he was terrified. He'd already lost Joey once when he'd sent him away. Kisara was dead; there was nothing he could do. He'd lost Kisara and now he was going to lose Joey because he was stupid, reckless, and selfish.

Because he was a gypsy, a gypsy who had been planning, and gypsies were dangerous creatures when they planned.

And he'd told Joey exactly where to go to find Kisara's resting place.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey reached out to touch the marble casket with the tips of his fingers, then flinched, drawing his hand back to his chest. "Um. I know ya probably can't hear me. Gypsies believe in a different place than the afterlife Egyptians do, and maybe you're in the afterlife, so ya can't hear a word I'm sayin' and I'm just standin' here lookin' like an idiot." He bit his bottom lip, then continued, "But I'm gonna talk t' ya anyway, just in case, okay?"

He looked around the dark room at the oil torches he'd lit, then walked over to set a large white candle in each corner. "See, the thing is, I know ya loved Seto. –Or Seth. Ya called him Seth, so he made everyone else call him Seth, and he's only recently gone back t' Seto, these past few months." He lit the candles and turned each of them clockwise three times, then went back to stand in front of where the woman's body had been laid to rest. He looked up at it again. "He really loved ya. Loves ya still. I think he might finally be startin' t' heal."

He looked down at the list in his hands, then back up. "He adores ya. Even when he… Even when he uses my body, he calls out for you." He bit his bottom lip. "…'m sure he pretends I'm you most of the time. Seto only calls my name once in a while. I… I've heard from some of the other slaves how in love you two were. I wish I'd seen it myself. See, I really, really like—"

He paused, then sighed and looked down at his feet. "…I'll admit it t' you. I don't just really, really like my master." He felt tears filling his eyes but had to smile anyway. "I love him. He's a great man, a hard worker, a fair master. I love him so deeply. And I know he cares about me. He wanted t' arrange a marriage between me and the person I love. Isn't that nice?" He felt his tears rolling down his cheeks, and he wanted to apologize, but he somehow felt that Kisara wouldn't mind. "He's so kind, even if he's sometimes rude about it. And I love him so much, I… I just want him t' be happy.

"And you… _You_ make him happy. He'd give up everything for ya—almost did when you were sick. I heard he'd worked himself into a fever tryin' t' heal ya." He turned and walked over to the candle in the left corner, pouring the melted wax onto the floor and sprinkling some green sand on top of it, then placing the candle down in it. "_Green for vines that reach for the sky._ He's really a wonderful man. And I heard you were a wonderful woman."

He walked anticlockwise, approaching the next candle and pouring the wax out. He sprinkled red sand on it and placed the candle back down on top of it. "_Red for fertile soil._ They said they ya made a beautiful couple. It's a shame I couldn't see it myself. I know I can't make a good companion for Seto, since I'm a slave and he's a priest. But you're not a slave. You two could get married and have children and live long, happy lives together." He sprinkled blue sand under the next candle. "_Blue for seas teeming with life._ I bet you'd have some really beautiful kids. I bet they'd grow up and be great people."

He approached the last candle, poured the wax on the ground and sprinkled some black sand on it. "_Black for the abyss on the other side._ It's a shame I'll never get t' meet ya. The girls in the kitchen said ya were really nice t' 'em. I would have really liked t' meet ya too."

Joey looked up at the marble she was encased in and sighed, then walked over to stand in front of it, pulling out a piece of charcoal to mark across the white expanse. He marked out several ancient runes all the way around it, connecting one side of each rune to the other until he worked his way back to where he'd started. Once that was finished, he wiped his hands and stood, taking a few steps back.

"…I hope you two will be very happy together," he whispered sadly. He imagined Seto smiling, his face filled with love and affection, and wished he'd see that, too, but he wouldn't. He couldn't.

Gypsy magic required equal exchange. The spell required the sacrifice of a life in order to bring the other back. He would be that sacrifice, because he loved Seto, and he just wanted them to be happy.

Joey pulled a knife from the bag he'd used to bring everything and cut the end of his finger, turning to trace over the charcoal with his own blood. He flinched as it smeared into his cut, biting his bottom lip. "Ouch." But he was doing this for Seto, so he bit his tongue, continued to trace the black lines, and began to force magic into his blood and the charcoal it was mixed in.

He stood and took a few steps back as he looked at his work, feeling the magic spreading out to the four corners of the room. He closed his and took a deep breath. This was it. He'd never see Seto again. And that would be okay, because he'd be happy.

Taking a deep breath, Joey lifted the knife so he could slice through the vein on his wrist. "I hope you'll make Seto very happy," he whispered, the tip of the knife digging into his skin and making a small drop of blood well up.

"_JUST WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING._"

Joey yelped and turned. "Seto-!"

Seto looked at the knife in his hands, then scowled, taking a step closer to him and yanking it away from him. "What. Are. You. Doing?" he hissed, glaring at him.

The blond swallowed thickly, biting his bottom lip, then looked down at his feet. "I… Um…"

The priest looked at the candles in each corner set in a dried patch of colored wax, then looked back down at him sharply, because that was part of the ritual that Yugi had hurriedly explained to him. He drew his hand back and brought it swinging around to slap across the blond's face—harder than he'd meant to, but he wasn't sorry, even when the gypsy yelped and fell to the ground.

Joey looked up at him in confusion, then whimpered and looked back down at the floor beneath his clenched fists. "I just wanted you t' be happy—"

"Kisara is _dead,_ Joey," Seto hissed, glaring at him. "She is resting peacefully in the afterlife."

"Yeah, but—"

"But _nothing!_" The brunet knelt in front of him, reaching out to grab his hair and yank his head back so he had to look at him. "I can't believe you'd do something so irresponsible—so _heinous—_I just _can't believe it._ What were you hoping to accomplish?!"

Joey frowned, more tears rolling down his cheeks as he whispered, "I wanted you to be happy."

"At the expense of your own life?! You are a _fool,_ Joey, and I don't understand why you would—" He froze at the earnest look the blond gave him, smiling despite the tears still rolling down his face. "…You… You're in love with me. The person you love… That's me?"

The gypsy smiled sweetly. "Of course, Seto. That's why I can't have you; you don't want me, and it would be improper."

Seto pulled him into his arms and held him tightly, wondering to what extent he'd hurt the blond when he'd sent him away and used his body, and wondering why the gypsy didn't hate him for those things, and wondering how he could continue to love him even after seeing how devoted he was to Kisara and knowing they could never be together.

But mostly, he wondered how he'd been so lucky to have someone so loyal trying to take care of him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"How long do you want me to keep him?" Atem asked softly.

Seto looked up from the papyrus he'd been examining. "…I don't know. I don't know if I want him to leave. I don't know if I want him to come back. I don't even know what I'd do with him if he was here." He looked down at the scroll and traced the letters on it gently, wondering what all of them said. "…Keep him for a few days. I'll come and tell him my decision then."

"I can't help but feel this might be the wrong decision…" the younger man murmured, frowning. He held his hands up when the brunet whipped around to glare at him. "But you'd know better."

"You will understand after you've tried to nurse the person you love with all of your soul to health and instead watch them fade away with each and every minute," the priest hissed.

"Yes, I suppose I didn't think of that," the pharaoh muttered contritely. "I apologize. …Well, I'll see you when you come to the palace…"

"Yes, alright." Seto waved him away impatiently. "I have things to do and consider, so…"

"…So I'll see myself out then," the younger man supplied, smiling a little, and turned to leave. "I just hope you come to a conclusion you can live with when you arrive, cousin."

The brunet looked down at the papyrus in front of him and frowned as he listened to his cousin's sandals slapping against the floor as he walked away. _'I hope I do, too.'_

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Cornflowers. I wonder if she'd like cornflowers… She's always stoppin' t' admire them, after all…" Joey muttered, holding up a handful of the vibrant blue flora. He'd already distilled some rose oil and some iris oil for Isis's healing ointments. He didn't know whether there was some healing quality about cornflowers, but he knew that when it came to aromatherapy, it was quite a calming scent.

He lifted his hand to push his bangs out of his eyes and sighed. "Maybe some of th' yellow chrysanthemum then…" He stared at the different flowers spread out in front of him and sighed again. He was glad he'd been given something to do that he was used to; he just… wished he was back where he belonged, doing it for Seto and using it for his baths.

…He missed his master. And he'd probably never see him again. He'd seen the way Seto had looked at him with such remorse when he'd stopped him from completing the ritual. He knew that Seto didn't want him like that.

Joey reached out to grab a bunch of heliotrope, frowning, as he traced the deep purple petals with his fingertips. "Heliotrope stands for devotion." He looked at the chrysanthemums and sighed. "Yellow chrysanthemum is slighted love." He glanced at the jasmine and sighed, the corner of his lips quirking into a sad smile. "And unconditional and eternal love."

He reached out to pluck up a stalk of jasmine and took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the flowers. How fitting, he thought, when he recalled the jasmine blooms carved into the white marble casket.

He stiffened in surprise as he felt something brush over the back of his neck, blushing a little as he felt the fragrant flowers brush past his ear and over his cheek. "Ah—"

"And what does this one mean, Joey?"

Joey bit his bottom lip, glancing at it to make sure his nose wasn't tricking him. "M-mignonette? It… it means 'worth.'" He turned, cheeks flushing a little darker as he met deep blue eyes. "…Seto…"

"I heard you speaking with your accent and wanted to hear more of it." Seto sat down next to him on the bench and brought the sprig of mignonette up so he could smell it as well. "You know, I always loved listening to you talk with that accent."

"…Oh. I guess I'd always just thought you were teasing me…"

"Not at all." The brunet reached out to grab out of the cornflowers and turned to tuck it behind the gypsy's ear, delicately brushing his golden hair out of his eyes. "I've made my decision."

Joey bit his bottom lip, breath hitching, because he knew what was coming; he was going to be told he was staying at the palace. "Oh."

Seto reached up to cup his chin, sliding his thumb over the blond's lower lip gently. "Before she died, Kisara tried to tell me that I had so much more love to give. I knew she was wrong."

The blond took a deep, shaky breath and turned his gaze away, but he didn't move otherwise; he was a glutton for pain, it seemed, and he loved having the priest touching him. "I see."

"…Joey, I don't love you," the brunet sighed, frowning.

"I know. I never expected—" Seto liked his accent. Maybe if he started to use it in front of him again, he'd be allowed to stay, even if just to work. "I never expected ya to, Seto."

The older boy paused, then cupped the blond's cheeks and tipped his head back. "…But I'm going to try to learn," he added after a moment. "Kisara didn't want me to be alone. …And I don't really _want_ to be alone anymore." He hesitated before explaining, "Part of me wants to make you happy. A different part of me wants to be made happy _by_ you. I think you could do that. I think you could make me happy."

Joey blushed brightly at that. Seto was acknowledging that he wanted _Joey_ to make him happy. Not anyone else.

Seto jumped to his feet as water from the fountain nearby exploded upward, spinning around to face it in case he had to defend himself and his servant. He couldn't help his mouth dropping open in shock as the water sprayed all over, thousands of fluid butterflies fluttering around wildly as the blond's magic surged through them. He whipped back around to face the gypsy, concerned.

Joey stood, beaming up at him even as his eyes filled with tears of joy. "Ya mean it, Seto? I can stay with ya and try and make ya happy and keep takin' care of ya?!"

The priest blinked slowly, then couldn't help a smile as well. "Of course I mean it. You know I'm not very good at joking."

His smile grew as the gypsy began to laugh with pure glee, the butterflies bursting and showering them with a fine mist.

Seto gulped as the sun shone through the mist and created a halo of rainbows around the younger boy. He was beautiful.

And he was a selfish, stupid man for not noticing it before.


	59. Woof

Author's Note: Sometimes I wonder how I come up with these things. **:**3 I am so weird.

* * *

Woof

Seto looked at the orders in front of him, then scowled, looking up at his cousin with all the anger he could muster—which was quite a lot. "Absolutely not."

Atem frowned. "It's the only way we'll be able to infiltrate the camp. Honestly, if I had a choice, I wouldn't send you. But I don't. I need you to do this, Seto."

There was his name. Seto knew his cousin was desperate when he called him by his name rather than just saying 'cousin.'

And damn it all if Atem was desperate enough to call him by his name instead of the cheerful 'cousin' he was used to and pretended to be disgusted by, he had to cave, because it usually meant protecting Mokuba, too.

Seto threw his hands up. "And what do you mean for me to be!?"

The smaller man hesitated before slowly lifting up a picture for him to emulate.

The brunet stood, eyes narrowed in rage. "I REFUSE AND THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN GUILT ME. YOU ARE DISGUSTING AND INFURIATING AND I WILL NOT BE DEMEANED IN SUCH A WAY."

Atem was honestly afraid his cousin would kill him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey smiled as Atem approached with a large, brown dragon-dog on a leash. He couldn't help a whistle as he unconsciously examined it from nose to tail, admiring the matching brown scales that went from its sharp claws up to its shoulders. More scales surrounded its delicate nose and ran up over its brows almost up to its ears. "Damn. That is one beautiful dog. Betcha even the Queen of Mosuoi would love him."

The Queen of Mosuoi was actually a rather cruel person, but she adored carrying around tiny dogs with her as a status symbol. Saying that she would have been impressed by a dog this large—okay, to be honest, the dog was huge—was actually quite a compliment.

The blond reached out to pet him, then yanked his hand back. "Uh. Whatcha doin' here, Atem?"

Atem glanced at the dog (and the dog glanced back up at him, also baffled by his reluctance to touch him, because he'd done nothing to threaten him _as per Atem's orders_), then sighed and held a scroll out to him. "If you'd be so kind—"

"Ya want me t' deliver that t' someone? Sure! Who?" Joey asked cheerfully.

"…No, Joey, it's for you," the smaller man corrected slowly, brows drawing together. He watched the blond pale a little and frowned in concern. "Joey?"

"Uh, just that no one writes anything for me, an' just—" The blond smiled awkwardly before opening it and staring at it. After a moment, he rolled it back up and smacked him on the shoulder with it with a smile, but his smile was clearly strained. "Hey, I got a job t' finish before I do anything for ya, so, I'll read this later, okay?"

"I'd prefer if you read it now—" Atem began, frowning, but then the blond shot him a glare and he was reminded of the blond's simple 'first come, first serve' rule that extended to him and made him feel more like a human and less like a king sometimes. Usually, he appreciated it. Now it just made him want to tear his hair out. "Well, okay. Don't take too long though; it's important."

Joey looked like he wanted to ask about what was so important, but then he looked at the scroll in his hand. "Yeah, sure."

"And the dog stays with you now. You said you wanted a working dog, right?"

"I said I wanted a—Close enough," the blond muttered, then squatted down and looked up at the dog as the other man walked away, taking the leash that had been carelessly dropped. "Hey. My name's Joey. What's yours?"

"_What's it to you?"_

Joey stared at the dog for a moment, then couldn't help a bark of laughter. "If you don't tell me yer name, I'm gonna call ya Fluffy."

The dog paused, then slowly answered, _"They call me… Seth."_

"Seth? That's a nice name," the blond replied kindly, as if talking to a child.

Seth had to keep himself from growling. He was not entirely successful.

"Not like that, huh?" Joey asked softly, frowning. "Be patient until I get used t' ya, okay? Some dogs need t' be talked to like that. You're not exactly friendly, so I have t' guess. I guess you're more intelligent than most dogs, huh?"

The dog turned his head away, lips curled down in a frown. _"…I apologize,"_ he muttered after a moment, because it seemed right and the blond looked so sincere. He was much nicer to dogs than he was to humans, he noticed with a hint of agitation.

"Well. Better get inside. Come on; my sister's makin' somethin' for lunch." Joey stood and brushed off his pants, then began walking into the house, the leash held lax in his hand.

Seth appreciated it. He knew there were laws that dogs not working be leashed, especially in cities, but he liked being able to walk like he wasn't being led around. He followed the blond inside, nodding slightly when he unlatched the chain and let him loose.

He was almost immediately accosted by a gray dog, larger than even he was. _"AGH."_

"_Hi! I'm Gringle what's your name?! Joey's swell, isn't he?! He feeds us and lets us wander around when we're at the farm. We're not at the farm now. But we're going back! Yeah! You're gonna help us herd the unicorns to Spatler?! That would be great we could use the help!"_

Seth's eye twitched. _"Please get off."_ He watched the gray dog—Gringle, apparently—fall to the ground with an idle 'whumph,' tail still waving happily.

"_You'll have to forgive him,"_ a white dog murmured, stepping between them, his pale fur tinged sea-foam green while his scales were a darker forest green. _"He was always a bit slow, but he was kicked by a unicorn last year and it's just seemed to make him slower. He's quite tolerable once you get used to him."_

The brown dog suddenly realized why Joey had spoken to him like he was stupid. He remembered the silly gray dragon-dog that had shown up at the palace and that Atem had sent for Joey to see what it wanted. He'd explained the dog just needed a place to stay, and he'd take it, because he needed one to herd the unicorns.

Seth looked down at Gringle, frowning. _"It's a… pleasure to meet you. Gringle."_

"_NICE TO MEET YOU TOO OH MY GOSH."_

The brown dog took a step back, grimacing as best he could.

The green-tinted dragon-dog chuckled softly. _"He's excitable. Please forgive him,"_ he repeated, smiling. _"My name is Pascal. You've neglected to mention yours."_

"_It's… Seth."_ The brown dog stared at him for a moment. Pascal seemed like he was rather weird in the head as well.

"_Oh, look. A butterfly. Come, Gringle. Let's watch it."_

Seth's eye twitched as the two dogs bounded toward the window and watched a moth flutter repeatedly into the glass. He jumped as a big, work-hardened hand lay on his head and looked up. _"Geh?!"_

Joey leaned down and whispered, "Pascal was a runt I saved drownin' in a river. He's an airhead, but he's a hard worker. Treat him with pity if you can't manage kindness, just don't be mean, please."

Seth stared up at him for several seconds before murmuring, _"You take a lot of misfits in, don't you?"_

"No one else will. And they're the hardest workers, I've found, because they want to prove they're not worthless." Joey smiled and patted his head gently, then sat at the table as his sister brought out a plate of sandwiches. "Ren, I got a scroll from Atem."

"Oh, okay. You go ahead and eat and I'll read it to you," she replied, opening the scroll.

Seth came up to sit beside the blond, frowning a little and wondering why the blond had lied and said he had something else to do and was having his sister read it to him instead.

"'To whom it may conc—' Oh for the love of—" She rolled her eyes. The letter was so formal that her brother wouldn't have been able to understand it anyway. "Joey, he wants you to take the dogs and sneak into a hunting camp by pretending you're just a hunter too. He wants you to steal back a—oh, what is this? A… A kai? I don't know what that is, but he wants you to go get it and bring it back to the palace before we go home."

"Aw, fuck," Joey snapped, then ran a hand through his hair with a snarl.

Seth yelped as he was pushed aside as Gringle and Pascal rushed to place their heads in the blond's lap, whining hurried words of comfort and love and adoration and we-love-you-please-don't-be-angry's. He was disgusted by their groveling, but then he saw the human relaxing, and he realized why Joey insisted on keeping his farm and raising unicorns when Atem had offered to make him the palace stable master.

He needed to be around animals. As an Animus, he could speak with the animals, and they kept him calm. Even as a stable master, he would not be surrounded by animals constantly like he was back on his farm.

Seth sat back and watched the other two dogs lick the blond's hands until he muttered something and batted them away. _"What's wrong?"_

"_He only curses in front of his sister when he's really angry,"_ Pascal replied, pawing at the blond one last time before returning to the window.

"…Joey, would you like me to teach you—" Serenity began softly.

Joey slammed his hands down on the table angrily. "You've already tried t' teach me how t' read and I just can't. Okay?! I just can't. Will you stop tryin'?! Mom and Dad didn't send me to that fuckin' fancy school because they knew I was stupid. 's why they sent _you._" He narrowed his eyes at the table, knowing he'd hurt his sister, but he didn't know any other way to make her stop offering to teach him.

It just made him feel stupid. He felt stupid enough already without her trying to help him get smarter, because he knew that wasn't possible.

"…Eat your sandwich, Joey," she sighed, taking a sip from her mug of tea.

Joey thought about apologizing, but instead he lifted his sandwich and began to eat.

Seth hesitated before walking over to place his head in the blond's lap as well.

"Ya beggin' fer food?"

"_No. Just company."_

Joey smiled a little and patted him on the head. "S'pose I could leave ya with Ren instead of Gringle." When the brown dog's lips curled up in a canine sneer, he chuckled. "Aw, I'm just kiddin'. Ren, I'm leavin' Gringle with ya when I go."

Serenity hadn't looked angry when he'd yelled at her, but she looked angry now. "What?! Why?! You think I can't take care of myself!? You think Gringle wouldn't take care of you?!"

The blond laughed a little. "Serenity, he gets so excited that he scares away all the deer! We'd make every other hunter angry within five miles."

She blushed a little. "…Oh. Well, if you're sure, then…"

"Just don't spoil 'im too much. I can't have 'im fat when we go home."

Serenity scowled and stood, drawing herself to her full height. "Do you really think I would spoil him like that?!"

"…Well Serenity, I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe it," the blond pointed out, smiling.

The redhead sagged. "Oh. Yes, well, I'll at least keep myself from giving him cake."

"And cookies, and chicken bones, and chunks of roast beef—"

"Oh alright, fine!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. "I don't understand how they can be happy if they're never given anything good!"

"Well, it's probably because they know ya love 'em, Ren. Makes me happy even when I'm hungry!" Joey replied, smiling, and stood to smooth her hair out of her eyes. "Tell ya what. While I'm gone, you can invite a couple of your girlfriends over and do that thing where ya cover your faces in mud and put curlers in your hair."

"A SLUMBER PARTY WITH FACIALS AND CURLS _REALLY_?!" she squealed, then rushed over to latch a leash onto Gringle and dragged him away from the window. "Come on, Gringle! We'll put some mud on you too, so you'll be just like one of the girls!"

"_Yay! I love mud!"_ he exclaimed, trotting out after her with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"Just make sure ya ask Téa or Mai too, so ya have someone t' watch ya!" Joey called out after her sternly, then couldn't help a smile."It's too bad we can't stay. Pascal likes the mud thing too. Maybe you woulda liked it."

Seth did not mention that it wasn't uncommon for dragon-dogs to enjoy facials because sometimes the scales on their faces dried out and a special blend of minerals could make them nice again. It actually did sound kind of fun.

He set his jaw and stiffened his tail. They had a job to do.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_Oh, look, a moth!"_ Pascal smiled vaguely.

Seth rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might pop out of his head. The pale green dragon-dog had somehow mixed up moths with butterflies, and not even Joey could change his addled mind, so he just had to put up with it. It was becoming increasingly difficult, but whenever he was about to lose his temper and snap at him, he always remembered what Joey had said—that Pascal had been a runt drowning in the river. Probably because someone had thrown him in it.

"Flick says we're gettin' close," Joey murmured, frowning, his hand cupped up by his ear. "Flicker, couldja please slow down a little? You're lisping."

Seth blinked. Somehow, it made sense that the hummingbird would lisp. Hummingbirds had quite long tongues, after all, and if it was trying to speak quickly, it would be even worse.

The blond nodded a few times, then pulled his hand away from his ear, allowing the muted hummingbird to jet away. "Says we're about two miles out." He knelt in front of the two dragon-dogs. "John is willin' t' let us chase him as long as we bungle up at the end and let him get away. If any other hunters go after him, we hafta bungle them up too so he can get home."

Seth blinked slowly but nodded, even though he knew he should have asked who John was and why they were bungling things up for him.

Pascal seemed to notice his confusion as Joey stood and walked away to go fetch John. _"John is an elk. His mother died when he was just a baby, and Serenity begged to take care of him. Joey agreed because he didn't much like the idea of killing a baby that only cried for its mother, so he's more of a pet than an actual wild animal. He helps herd the unicorns sometimes because his horns are bigger than theirs. He used them to scoop up Gringle when he was kicked and held him aloft until Joey could get to him and take him home._

"_Joey's picked up a lot of misfits over the years," _he added, smiling. _"I'm not the first. John will not be the last. Yes, I'm aware I'm not as intelligent as a lot of animals. I knew after I spoke with John some years ago. I know I'll never be as intelligent as you, and I know that I'm awful to deal with."_ He looked over at Joey fondly. _"But Joey makes me feel whole, like I'm intelligent and worth his time. He's patient with Gringle and he takes care of everyone he can. He hasn't taken this job because the King asked him to, or because it's Atem and Atem's his friend. Akai is an animal and Akai needs help."_

Seth ducked his head, feeling humbled. It appeared that he always misjudged everyone. _"I see."_

Pascal grinned at him. _"I don't think you do. You're so smart it makes you dumb, and you miss things. I bet you didn't even realize that Flicker was female, or that Serenity was covering up her worry with anger. You're so busy being smart that you forget to look at things and see them as they are. Look at Joey. What do you see?"_

Seth looked up at the blond as he wandered back to them with a large elk, frowning, as he observed him talking animatedly, gesturing wildly with his hands as he smiled and laughed and the elk nodded, its thick lips curving into a smile. _"I see a blond man that talks with his hands and laughs at his own jokes."_ There was the underlying thought that Joey was full of himself because of the last part, but he was afraid of what Pascal would say next, and he didn't want to embarrass himself.

"_He's putting John at ease. John is scared that something could go wrong and he'd be killed accidentally. Joey is taking his mind off of it, even going so far as making fun of himself. John and I both know that he would put himself between any bullet or arrow aimed at him if he had the chance. Joey is confident to the point of arrogance, but he's selfless."_ Pascal turned to look at him. _"If Seto Kaiba asked him to talk a thousand bears into going to war for him, he would, even though he's afraid of bears because they don't care for humans at all, even the Animus ones."_

Seth scowled. _"Why would he do anything that—that Seto Kaiba would ask?!"_

Pascal grimaced. _"Joey releases so many pheromones when he's around Seto Kaiba that it's ridiculous. I sometimes wish that Seto Kaiba would just transform into an animal so he could smell them after Joey's been around him. It's quite irritating. I wish that Seto Kaiba would pup him so that he'd be satisfied."_

The brown dog stared, jaw hanging open slightly, before he glommed on to the first thing possible and snarled, _"YOU CAN'T PUP A MALE!"_

"…_You don't know much about Animus, do you…?"_ the green-tinted dragon-dog replied after a stunned pause.

"_All Seto Kaiba does is go out of his way to humiliate him! Why would Joey want to have sex with him?!"_

Pascal smiled again. _"Because the animal in him knows that Seto Kaiba is a prime example of what a human should be and it wants those genes. Even if it was just for pleasure, he likes it rough and he knows that Seto Kaiba would have no qualms yanking his hair and fucking him until he's nothing but a puddle of goo on the—"_ He paused, nose flaring, then blinked in surprise when he smelled sexual arousal. _"Does the idea of humans doing it turn you on? That's weird."_

Seth's nose burned in embarrassment when he realized that he must have been giving off pheromones as well. _"Well y—"_ …He was a dog. _"NO, JUST THE IDEA OF SEX IN GENERAL. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU HUMPED SOMEONE?! DON'T YOU GET—"_

"_I'm… fixed,"_ the white dog replied, brows drawing together in confusion. _"My first family castrated me before they threw me in the river. You'd have to discuss these things with Gringle."_

Seth did not howl that he didn't want to discuss anything with Gringle, especially something as personal as this. He was quite proud of himself for it.

"You guys ready?" Joey asked, smiling, as he squatted down in front of them.

Pascal smiled. _"Yes."_ He raised his paw to bat Seth in the face. _"We were just discussing how you'd like to be pupped."_

Joey blushed brightly. "Aw come on, Pascal. Seth didn't need t' know that—"

"_You said something about Seto Kaiba grabbing your hair and tying your legs above your—"_

"PASCAL!" the blond roared, shoving him. "SETH DOESN'T CARE!"

"_What? You never said anything about tying his legs anywhere!"_ Seth exclaimed in surprise.

"WHY DON'T ANIMALS UNDERSTAND THIS SHIT IS PRIVATE?!" Joey exclaimed, standing swiftly as his cheeks burned in embarrassment.

John took a step forward, frowning. _"Joey wants to be mounted and impregnated? Surely he doesn't need to be tied up to do that."_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH YOU GUYS ARE THE WOOOOORST!" the blond wailed. "Can we stop talkin' about my nonexistent sex life and just go get Akai?!"

The three animals paused awkwardly. Finally, though, Pascal bounced up, smiling brighter than ever. _"I could probably convince one of the horses at the palace to bump Seto Kaiba so he goes sprawling, so you could climb on top of him and—"_

"OH MY GOD PASCAL JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!" Joey slapped the elk's rump, making it bellow and jump before it began leaping away. Pascal fell in line behind him, tongue lolling out happily.

Seth looked up at the blond awkwardly. _"…Um."_

The blond sighed and grabbed his gun, beginning to jog after them and expecting the brown dog to follow. "He makes up for his lack of libido by discussing mine because he thinks that's normal."

Seth rolled his eyes again and began running faster to catch up with Pascal and John, to make it look like he was a hunting dog and not just a pet that Joey kept by his side.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The camp looked like any other hunter's camp. A few tents, a fire pit, tables with guns and bows laid out on it, and a few deer pelts hanging from a tree, the meat already cleaned from the skins.

John paused to stare at the pelts in horror, bellowed again, and took off in the opposite direction, nearly braining Joey as he leapt over him; it was only Joey diving onto the ground that saved him. The men that had been eating supper quietly began to rise, reaching for bows and guns as the elk startled by another hunting dog and bolted the other way.

Seth saw one of the men get a sight on the panicked animal and tried to think of a way to 'bungle' the shot like he'd been asked to. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the job was done for him when he felt something sharp clamp onto his back leg, breaking through the scales there to dig into his flesh.

The shriek he let out was half human and half animal as he instinctively tried to leap away from his attacker. It just dug its teeth in further, pulling at his flesh and ripping scales from their places. He shrieked again as its powerful jaws forced the sharp teeth deeper into his leg, leaping about wildly until Joey was there, by his side and gripping the fur on either side of his face to try to get him to calm down.

"SETH, QUIT MOVING."

The order rang in his ears, and he whimpered as he sagged to the ground, turning to view his attacker.

It was a bear trap. They were supposed to be illegal, he recognized in the back of his mind, but he was too hurt and tired to really care. He whined as one of the other hunters came over and pried the jaws apart, allowing Joey to pull his leg out gently without hurting him further.

Seth immediately began limping away, whining when Pascal got in front of him with a stern look that clearly conveyed he stop moving.

"Bring 'im over by the fire. Beautiful dog. Hate t' put it down."

Joey curled his arms beneath the brown dog and carried him over to the fire, muttering to himself about the illegal bear traps as he sat and pulled the injured leg up so he could examine it.

Pascal wandered over and sat down next to him, panting.

Seth narrowed his eyes at him. _"How old are you, anyway?"_

"_WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"_ the white dog snarled.

The blond sighed and slapped the dog gently across the snout. "Pascal, quit it."

Seth took that to mean that Pascal was quite touchy about his age. Like a woman. _"I was just wondering, because you seem so winded."_

Pascal's hackles smoothed at that. _"It is one thing to herd unicorns, and quite another to chase an elk for two and a half miles at full speed. I'm a herder, not a hunter."_ He glanced up at Joey, then turned and began snuffing around, exploring the camp.

"Nice traps ya got," Joey commented, drawing the brown dog's attentions back to him. "Got some glass-tipped ones myself. What was it you were usin'?"

One of the men laughed and slapped his thigh. "Knew it! Always recognize 'nother trapper! It's copper 'n' steel, alternatin'. If one set o' teeth don't git in, the other do!"

The blond whistled. "Damn. I never thought 'o that. Fuck, the sounds nice. Make 'em yourself, or 'd ya buy 'em?"

"Made some, bought some. C'n't buy t' many, ya know. King gits pissy 'bout it."

"Yeah." Joey stroked the brown dog's head thoughtfully, then smiled. "Well. Thanks fer the warm place t' sit. Better go. Si—Uh, wife's waitin' fer me."

One of the men guffawed. "Ya d'n't look old enough fer a wife!"

The blond simply shrugged, mild smile still in place as he hefted the wounded dog again. "What c'n I say? Pop-in-law held a gun t' my head if I didn't."

The men all roared with laughter, and Seth realized the blond had hinted at knocking someone up—a shotgun wedding. Somehow, that was funny?

"PAS. WE'RE LEAVIN'. Quit nosin' 'round, it's rude," Joey muttered sternly, then began walking away. He raised one hand to the men as a goodbye, then began walking faster. "Damn, damn, damn."

Seth was about to ask, but then John stepped out from some bushes and dipped his head. Joey laid him across the elk's antlers. He tried to find a comfortable position, but then John was off and running as the thunderous sound of a gunshot tore through the air violently.

He heard Joey let out a yelp and whined, wanting to go and help him, but the elk was already a mile away by the time he'd fought down the urge to vomit from pain and had actually positioned himself to leap from his antlers.

Pascal was only a few paces behind, a black lizard clinging to his sides with its claws and hanging beneath his belly, nearly hiding in his long fur. The only thing that gave it away was the blood dripping from where its claws had sunk into his flesh and the black claws visible above the fur.

"_Where's Joey?!"_ he exclaimed worriedly.

Pascal faltered and nearly fell, but regained his balance quickly and continued running. _"He'll come later. He always does."_

.-.-.-.-.-.

John bent his head to let Seth roll off of his antlers into a spot of soft moss, so he didn't jar his injured leg landing. Then, he left, with only a snort and a muttered, _"I'm returning home."_

Pascal hunkered down beside him. He was only vague when he was safe, it seemed. _"We'll wait for dark."_

The lizard crawled onto Pascal's back, unfurling its tiny wings and blinking its big red eyes.

Seth leaned in to trail his nose over its back gently. _"Hello, Akai."_

Akai blinked one eye, then the other, and then hissed, tongue fluttering out slightly. _"Saito."_

Seth couldn't help a bark of laughter. Dragons didn't understand the concept of first and last names and often curled the two into one name. Kisara had called Joey 'Woely' in passing. And King Atem had been rolled into 'Akting,' which had really made him laugh.

He wasn't sure how those men had come across Akai while he'd been about the land, but they had, and had planned on holding him for ransom from Atem. He'd been looking up spells to debilitate the men when Atem had come up with the idea to send Joey, because Joey had always been good at retrieving things that even the great Seto Kaiba couldn't manage.

Seth leaned over to drag his broad, flat tongue over the dragon's face. The dragon squealed, but he was happy to see him, so he merely wiped the saliva unto Pascal's fur.

Dragons weren't much for talking, anyway, the brown dragon-dog mused, as he laid his head on his front paws and waited for night to fall.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Gringle opened the door for them when they finally padded up to the door in the early hours of the morning. He didn't look excited, and his scales were all covered with mud.

Seth leaned around him to observe the several female bodies curled up around the fire, all of them sleeping peacefully. He recognized a mop of black hair and couldn't help a chuckle. Apparently he'd underestimated his brother's affection for a certain red-haired Wheeler.

A few minutes later, the door creaked open again. The three dogs turned.

Joey stepped inside, looking ready to collapse where he stood. He turned to look at the group of girls and managed a small smile. "I said a couple friends, Ren, not a billion." He scratched the back of his head, then sighed, waving the dogs away as they began to crowd him. "No, no, I'm fine. 'm just gonna take a bath. Come on, Seth; we should clean your leg, too."

"_That's not necessary,"_ Seth replied, turning to allow the dragon onto his back. _"I'm going home."_

The blond blinked. "Home? Oh. Ya takin' Akai, too-?"

"_That's where home is,"_ the brown dog affirmed, flinching a little as the black dragon dug its claws into his back.

"Can't I at least wrap your leg up?"

"_That's not necessary,"_ the dog repeated. _"I'll have it seen to."_

Gringle frowned, tail wilting sadly. _"So you're not gonna help us herd the unicorns, then."_

Seth actually felt badly. _"No, Gringle, I'm sorry. You'll have to do that without me. But I trust you'll handle it yourselves. You're very hard workers and I admire that."_

The gray dragon-dog's head ducked bashfully, lips quirking up into a doggy grin. Pascal scratched at the floor with his blunt claws awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Joey grinned at him from over their heads but didn't say anything. Instead, he simply opened the door for him to limp out. "Thanks, Seth. Be careful."

Seth turned for one last nod before beginning to trot away. Once out of sight, though he bent his front legs, groaning as he shifted back into a human form. It wasn't pleasant, but it didn't hurt because he often shifted bodies, just to keep in practice. He stood and lifted a hand to brush his hair out of his eyes, then turned as the dragon crawled up onto his shoulder.

"Well. Have you learned your lesson, flying around without an escort after you've been injured, or are you going to continue getting yourself and me into trouble?"

Akai trilled, scaly lips quirking into a smile. Seto couldn't understand him, but the dragon seemed to understand that and instead rubbed his face over his cheek.

Seto lifted his hand to ruffle his wings lightly. "You'll never guess what Pascal told me," he began, limping back toward the palace. He waited for the dragon to coo eagerly before continuing, "That smell that Joey gives off when he's around me is apparently pheromones."

Akai squealed in shock, as if yelping, 'no!'

"That's what Pascal said. He also told me that Joey wants me to pup him. Can Animus actually bear children? Because that's what Pascal hinted, but he's admittedly not all there. I'll look it up in the library when we get home. In any case, when Joey found out, he didn't deny it. Can you believe that?"

He knew that dragons turned him into a terrible gossip. However, on this subject, he was glad to continue chatting away, because that seemed like a great idea.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked up at the ceiling of the palace, worrying his bottom lip nervously. He didn't really want to be here, but Atem had mentioned something about a reward, and he'd said the black dragon would consider it very rude for him not to accept it. He wondered if he could reason with the dragon. He didn't really want anything. Maybe he could ask it for something for Serenity.

"Joey."

Joey yelped and jerked around, blushing a little as he came face-to-face with the palace mage. "GAH Kaiba!"

"…Yes, hello," Seto murmured, glancing him up and down. He smirked a little. "You'll never guess what a little dog told me."

"Oh enough with the dog jokes asshole it's not like they're funny t' anyone but you!" the blond snapped, glaring at him.

"Hmm." The older boy raised an eyebrow, then grinned—a rather scary expression on him, the blond thought, taking a step back. "So what was the job that Atem sent you on, hmmmm?"

"None of your business, ass—" Joey began angrily. He glanced down at his leg, pausing when he saw it wrapped tightly with bandages. "…Hole…?"

"Bear traps are supposed to be illegal," Seto replied, shrugging. He chuckled quietly as he watched the blond pale, reaching out to dig his fingers into his hair. "Akai decided that the best reward was to give you exactly what you want. I agreed." He leaned in and brushed his lips over the blond's burning ear, whispering, "So, did you really want me to pup you?"

Joey's face heated up so much he thought he might faint. "You… I… Wha—Oh my God."

"Not a no," the brunet decided, wrapping his free arm around his waist. "If you don't say no, I'm going to kiss you."

"…I'm gonna just… go now…" the younger boy muttered, pushing lightly at his chest.

"That was still not a no," Seto stated, and dipped his head to crush the blond's mouth with his own.

Joey mewled, shivering a little, then scowled and lifted his foot to lightly tap the brunet's bandaged calf with it.

Seto yelped and fell. "AH FUCK WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

The blond glared at him. "That wasn't romantic at all, ya prick!"

"Aaaagonyyyy," the brunet hissed when he tried to stand up.

Joey sighed and rolled his eyes, then reached out and wrapped his hands around the older boy's wrists. "Okay, that was probably a little mean." He yanked the brunet into a standing position, taking a moment to steady him as he flailed his arms trying to balance more on one leg. "I expect dinner before I kiss ya and if ya want more than that you're gonna hafta take me on _tons_ of dinners, because _I am not an animal._"

Seto sighed, scowling a little. "How do you expect me to have you for dinner if you're going back to your farm?"

The blond smirked and patted his cheek a little harder than necessary. "Well, I'm sure Gringle and Pascal would be happy t' see ya, and Serenity loves makin' extra food!"

The older boy rolled his eyes in disgust. "Are you suggesting I come to that hovel you call a house?! It smells like horse shit!"

"…Well o' course it does, dumb ass," Joey exclaimed, glaring back at him. "Unicorns are just horses with magical horns and huge fetlocks!"

Seto snorted. "That's not true."

"It's mostly true."

The brunet paused. "…Well. You'd know better than I." He sighed, frowning. "I suppose I can make a trip out to your… home… every weekend. Every other weekend at the worst." He grimaced. "Even if it does smell bad and I don't look forward to seeing Gringle."

"Aw, Gringle _adores_ ya, Seto! Probably even as a human!" Joey cooed, patting his chest. "Tell Akai I appreciate the thought, but—"

"I'm going to tell him that I kissed you thoroughly, because dragons do not just _accept_ appreciation for their thoughts. He would bite me." Seto grimaced. "And I'm already wounded."

The blond blinked up at him, stunned, then smirked and went up on his toes to whisper into his ear. "Maybe if you're a good boy when ya come for dinner, I'll kiss it better."

"Oh. …Would you really?" the older boy asked after a moment.

Joey smiled and tapped his nose. "You'll just hafta see, won't ya?"

He liked that idea. He liked it very much. "I will most definitely be over to your hov—house on Friday."

"We'll try really hard to make sure the house smells clean then. You can bring Mokuba, too," Joey added, winking, before turning to walk away. "Serenity can keep him company while I kiss your booboos better!"

"Okay." Seto lifted his hand in a vague wave, even though all he could think about was perhaps being able to kiss Joey and perhaps the blond even seeing to his wound.

He'd planned to just use some spells and salves to heal his leg, because his limp was rather annoying, but he suddenly found himself quite willing to continue limping around for the mere possibility that the blond would kiss his booboo better. Hell, he didn't even care that he was using the word 'booboo' despite how demeaning it was because the idea of the blond taking care of him was so pleasing.


	60. In Our Town of Halloween

Author's Note: How does aging work in this fic?! I don't even know! It just worked for the story!

Also making Seto talk was actually really difficult, soooo, ummm, sorry?! (Also sorry for the vagueness of what went down in Halloweentown. I planned on Joey asking questions while they were in bed but I can't make the scene work so _congratulations_ you're just as in the dark about it as Joey!)

I don't care if it's not Halloween anymore there's mentions of Thanksgiving and Christmas _so it works._

* * *

In Our Town of Halloween

Seto let his hands fall to his sides, worn out. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and was too exhausted to flinch.

Atem gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "It's over, Seto. Gozaburo is dead and his lackeys have fled Halloweentown. What's left of the 'wolves are going out to track them down. You don't have to worry anymore."

The brunet glanced at the factory building across town, still billowing smoke. "No. No, I think I really do."

His cousin followed his gaze, frowning a little, then looked down at the body in front of them. "He was poisoning candy and putting razor-blades in the bags, Seto. You had to stop him."

Seto thought about telling him all the terrible things his step-father had done to him. He'd been beaten, starved, and forced to create some of the things that would have hurt children this Halloween. He'd wanted to scare children better, not hurt them, but his creations had been twisted into things that would cause chaos.

"…Halloween is in _one week,_" he croaked instead, voice cracking a little. "All of our sugar stores have dwindled to nothing. Once the harvest was taken from the cocoa trees, they were chopped down to fuel the fires in the factory. Someone _burnt the cornfields_ so we have nothing for popcorn balls even if we could scrounge up sugar for caramel. All we have left is pumpkins. I do not even have _flour_ to make cakes or cookies. We have _nothing left but weapons that were meant to maim human children._"

Atem flinched as he watched the vampire cover his face and huff, trying to hold back tears. He knew things were bad, but he felt things could only get better from there. He'd been so busy fighting for his life that he hadn't thought about the coming Halloween, or any of the resources that had been used up in the process of reclaiming the throne. Seto had always been involved in making kids happy; he should have _known_ he'd tick the days off on his calendar until he could scare them into giggles again.

Halloween was only a week away and they had nothing but chains and barbed wire, poisoned candy, razor-lined candy bags. They had nothing to make new candy with and while the chains and wires could go toward decorating the town, they didn't have anything to decorate the human world. He doubted they could even scrape together enough sugar for a lollipop.

What would Jack Skellington have said about them now?

Atem took in a sharp breath through his nose. "Christmas Town."

Seto took a deep breath, frowning in confusion, then turned to look at him in confusion. "What?"

"Jack left notes, and it's in the history books," the smaller man explained, hurriedly reaching down to grab some of his wayward wrappings. "That year when Jack Skellington stole Christmas, but then came to good terms with Sandy Claws. Come on, it's in the library."

Seto's brows furrowed, but he followed him diligently; the maggots worked quickly in Halloweentown, and it wouldn't take long for them to devour what was left of his step-father (and any other fallen townspeople, he realized with a sharp pang). He hesitated for a moment. "Mokuba—"

"He's fine. I locked him in a closet to keep him from coming after you," the mummy replied, shrugging.

"…You locked my little brother in a closet?" the brunet snapped, glaring at him.

Atem shot him a dirty look. "He bit me when I tried to stop him and the closet was right there!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba sneezed as a book was slammed down on the table, dust wafting up as Atem turned the brittle, faded pages as quickly as he dared. He looked up at his brother and scowled when he saw that he'd only wrinkled his nose. Someday he'd be just as scary as Seto, and then he wouldn't sneeze like a little kid because of some dust. "What are we looking for, anyway?"

"I read somewhere, I think Jack Skellington wrote it, or his wife, Sally. It told of a year when Jack, despondent, searched for something new and found his way to Christmas Town. He contrived a way to steal it and become Sandy Claws himself, to deliver toys on Christmas, and failed spectacularly," Atem explained as he carefully scanned the book. "But from his failure he brought a new age of Halloween, each scarier than the last, and his children and his children's children followed in his footsteps. Coincidentally, that only stopped after your step-father murdered my father and turned our town into an industry."

Mokuba looked up at his brother again. "Do you remember Jack Skellington, Seto?"

Seto scowled at him. "Exactly how old do you believe I am?"

The younger boy raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I was turned around the same time that Jack and Sally Skellington passed away. I do recall their children and vague rumors of Christmas Town," the brunet sighed, because wow, he really was that old. He wondered if this meant he could yell at kids to get off his grave dirt and get away with it.

"What we're really looking for," Atem cut in, glaring at them for a moment. "Is the fact that Jack Skellington and Sandy Claws parted on good terms. Perhaps we could go and ask for aid from Christmas Town. If I recall correctly, they at least make candy. We can scrape something together for decorations ourselves if we can depend on them for some candy."

Seto turned and looked at the factory through the manor's cracked and dusty windows, frowning. "The chains could be… useable. The barbed wire, of course, that will have to be given to the town. I suppose I can try and find some of the tarantulas, see if they are still alive and collect some silk."

"If you can find them, let Ryou collect the silk," the younger man ordered, using his finger to track down the page before he turned it and continued skimming. "He's always been better at coaxing the tarantulas to behave. He'll be glad to have them back, and they'll be glad to be back home."

"Probably," Mokuba added darkly. He and tarantulas had never seen eye-to-eye.

Seto looked at him for a moment, then decided not to ask about it, because he probably didn't want to know. He loved his brother dearly, but he did not always understand him.

"Here it is!" Atem exclaimed excitedly. "Listen, it's—Oh my pumpkins, they wrote in _rhyme_ back then."

The three men paused to get their disgust under control. _Poetry._ They weren't _cupids._

Atem cleared his throat, then read, "'My dear Jack,' said Sandy, 'I applaud your intent. I know wreaking such havoc was not what you meant. And so you are sad and feeling quite blue, but taking over Christmas was the wrong thing to do. I hope you realize Halloween's the right place for you. There's a lot more, Jack, that I'd like to say, but now I must hurry, for it's almost Christmas day.' Then he jumped in his sleigh, and with a wink of an eye, he said 'Merry Christmas,' and he bid them goodbye. Back home, Jack was sad, but then, like a dream, Sandy brought Christmas to the land of Halloween."

Seto paused to take this in, then turned to walk out of the mansion. "I would prefer to rip out my own toenails."

"That _does_ sound a little… _cheery and nice,_" Mokuba added hesitantly, brows furrowing together. "I'm surprised Seto didn't just throw up."

The mummy wrinkled his nose. "I'm surprised _I_ didn't throw up. _Gross._"

The younger boy frowned and said, "I really don't think we should be calling Sandy Claws and Christmas Town gross if we're about to go beg them for help."

Atem thought he'd rather hang himself with his wrappings, but decided he couldn't leave Seto alone with this mess.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"This is creepy. And I hold the market on creepy," Seto said, lifting his lantern to peer into the Hinterlands. "Are you sure you cannot go there by yourself?"

"Jack Skellington was overcome with awe while he was there; I need you to keep me grounded." Atem stomped through the dry leaves as he examined the map he'd found pressed between the pages of the tome he'd been pouring over for more information. "I really don't want to go on a stealing spree when I get there. He stole the 'C' from the Christmas Town sign. That just seems offensive on top of stealing Christmas altogether."

The brunet sighed. "Can you at least allow me to navigate? You are terrible at reading maps."

"I am not!"

Seto rolled his eyes toward the bare branches of the trees and sighed again. Atem made him sigh a lot.

They stiffened as they heard more feet tromping through the leaves, and then flashes of gold and red. Atem screamed and leapt into his cousin's arms.

Seto would have dropped him if he hadn't been planning on throwing him at whatever attacked and running.

Two women with tangled hair and bloody mouths peered out of the shadows at them. The older woman's eyes flashed red again, and the brunet promptly dropped the mummy in frustration. "It is just werewolves."

"Agh!" Atem flailed and grunted when he hit the ground. "Shit!"

The alpha werewolf stared at the Pumpkin King for a moment, eyebrows almost in her hairline, before she turned her eyes on the brunet and lifted a hand to pick between her teeth with her claws. "Gozaburo's lackeys have been taken care of. We're going to rest before Halloween and the Full Moon."

Seto inclined his head to acknowledge it. "Thank you for your service."

"Oh, honey," the younger woman sighed, smiling a little. "Mom has wanted to tear out Johnson's throat since he hit on her."

The alpha sniffed in disgust. "He told me that he'd make my tail wag."

Seto and Atem flinched. Telling a werewolf that they would make them feel something so much they'd act like actual canines was a death wish on the best of days.

"Well. We'll let you get back to what you were doing, whatever that was," the younger woman added, waving a little, before they melted back into the shadows.

"…Werewolves scare me," Atem muttered, brushing some dirt from his wrappings.

Seto took a moment to straighten his jacket. "Well, just be glad that she was only after Johnson and was uninterested in you." They both took a moment to shudder at the thought. "Anyway, provide me the map and I will get us to Christmas Town."

"You're going the wrong way if you're going to Christmas Town!" the alpha barked from behind them, and they were reminded of just how excellent werewolf hearing was. "Turn due east!"

"Isn't that where we're going?" Atem asked, frowning.

"GIVE ME THE MAP!" Seto roared, and snatched the map from his hands.

The mummy held his hands up defensively before glancing back at the werewolves and frowning. "I wonder how _she_ knows how to get to Christmas Town."

The brunet huffed and snapped, "Are you willfully ignorant? There was a huge uproar twenty years ago when she left to mate with an outsider and then another upheaval five years ago when she came back without her mate and a child in tow. Honestly, Atem, it is like you would not know _any_ of the townspeople if it was not for me."

Atem beamed up at him. "That's why you're the mayor!"

"I DID NOT EVEN RUN FOR MAYOR! PEOPLE JUST STARTED CALLING ME BY THAT!" the vampire snarled. He thought about picking up his cousin and throwing him just to feel better, but hurriedly reminded himself that Halloween was in a week and Sandy Claws would probably rather negotiate with the Pumpkin King than with a mayor that hadn't even been correctly elected.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I don't know what Jack Skellington was talking about. I have no desire to steal anything," Atem stated, crossing his arms and trying to pull his wrappings tighter. "Also, it's cold."

Seto rolled his eyes skyward and sighed, then grabbed his cousin by the bandages around his neck and dragged him down the hill. "I am sure Sandy Claws will be glad to hear that you have no such kleptomania."

"Can I borrow your jacket?"

"Mummies do not wear jackets. We had this discussion the last time I suggested that you should put on some clothes over your wrappings. 'I would not be as scary then,' you said."

Atem scowled. He'd experimented wearing clothes over his wrappings. He looked stupid. "Fine. Just leave me to suffer then."

"Your suffering always brings me joy," Seto deadpanned.

The mummy couldn't even laugh, because it was actually true. He mournfully thought about how from anyone else, that phrase could have been a joke. Sometimes he wished that Seto hadn't been 'alive' so long, because clearly the years had worn away his sense of humor.

"Oh for the love of pumpkins," the brunet spat. "_Gingerbread houses._"

"WHY?!" Atem shouted, throwing his hands up. He paused when he heard jingling, then turned, frowning a little when he saw all the small creatures looking up at him, the bells on their hats and shoes still vibrating.

"…Long-lost relatives?" Seto asked after a moment.

The Pumpkin King seriously thought about punching his cousin in the balls, because he thought _this_ was the kind of thing to be joked about. "Don't disparage my height."

The brunet smirked. "You mean the lack thereof?"

Luckily, one of the jingly creatures approached them, its hat bobbing as it waddled with expert ease over the cold snow. "Good evening, and welcome to Christmas Town!" He swept his hat off his head and bowed, exposing curly blond hair and pointed ears that had been hidden under the thick green cap. He popped back up straight and placed his hat back on, the silver bells jingling beautifully. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Seeing that the brunet looked like he might just explode with disgusted rage, Atem quickly replied, "We were hoping we could meet with Sandy Claws. I'm the Pumpkin King, from Halloweentown. It's actually rather an emergency, if we could just—"

"Oh, right this way!" another elf said, hurriedly motioning for them to follow her. She smiled sweetly when the blond elf shot her a dirty look. "You were supposed to go fetch the reindeer for a test flight."

Seto fought not to wrinkle his nose in disgust as they approached the brightest, most warm-looking gingerbread house on the lane. He kept reminding himself that he needed assistance in making Halloween happen. He'd been doing this for centuries and refused to ruin his record as the second-best scare-er after Atem (some years he might even have been scarier, but with this new vampire craze sweeping the globe, he'd lost that 'beautiful undead' aspect, and he refused to douse himself in glitter to appeal to anyone).

"Come inside please!" she exclaimed cheerfully, before Seto could even pause outside the door.

They were swept into a rather messy looking room, lists everywhere and every available surface covered in knickknacks or plates with half-munched cookies or glasses filled with milk or—Seto sniffed, and grimaced—eggnog. The man sitting behind the desk looked positively jolly, cheeks flushed red and stroking his white beard.

Seto reached over and snuck some bright green slime into one of the glasses just to soothe his frazzled nerves. _Someone_ would be scared when they cleaned the dishes, at least.

Atem cleared his throat when the old man failed to acknowledge them, still scratching at the long piece of parchment he was pouring over. "Sandy Claws?"

The man jumped, turned toward them in surprise, then, surprisingly, beamed at them. "Hello! You must be from Halloweentown! I'd recognize eyes like that anywhere! Have a seat, have a seat!"

The two spooks looked at each other awkwardly. Usually people _weren't_ happy to see them, let alone ask them to stay. It was a bit out of their depth. Finally, though, Atem sank into one of the warm, squishy velvet chairs, eyebrows rising in surprise at how comfortable it was despite not having any nails or sharp pins in it. Seto awkwardly stood next to the window, unable to bring himself to relax after recent events. It would probably take him decades to unwind enough to sit.

"So, what can I do for you two ghouls?" Sandy Claws asked jovially.

Seto's eye twitched.

"Er—We, um, we read in one of our history books that you and Jack Skellington parted on good terms?" Atem finally said, fidgeting with his wrappings. "And we were hoping for assistance. Some things have happened, recently—"

"Halloween was sabotaged. We took care of the perpetrators, but we have no means to recreate everything that was ruined, and we thought that you could help," Seto cut in, unwilling to listen to Atem sugarcoat anything when the room was clearly already sickly sweet.

Sandy Claws blinked at him in surprise, then looked at the mummy, frowning. "You have nothing _at all?_"

"…Seto said he couldn't even get together enough sugar to make a single lollipop," Atem muttered, brows furrowing together. He shifted in the seat, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. It figured that _his_ rein would be the one to bring disaster to Halloween. "And our cocoa trees have all been destroyed."

The old man stroked his beard and sat back in his seat, brows furrowing together thoughtfully. "And you've come to ask for help?"

"We thought, maybe you could lend us some sugar, or some chocolate, or… or just _anything,_" the mummy finished, shoulders sagging. "Or there won't be a Halloween this year."

"I don't have any cocoa," Sandy Claws sighed, looking deeply apologetic. "And our sugar stores are running a bit low as well. The cupids haven't given us any in years, and we're due for payment for a delivery from some of the Hounds, but I don't think you have anything the Hounds would want."

"What do the Hounds require for payment?" Seto asked, lifting his head a little. He was wealthy enough; he could probably pay them. He'd give them everything if it meant making it through this Halloween. He could rebuild afterward.

"They… ask for a fully grown reindeer for food. They live out in the snow." The old man looked deeply uncomfortable. "After they eat, they bring us boulders from the sugar quarry out there."

Atem frowned. "There's nothing we could do to convince them?"

"Well, perhaps Yugi could convince his friend. He's somewhat of a freelancer and will sometimes bring some pretty large rocks of sugar to the house as long as we give him some cookies," Sandy Claws murmured thoughtfully. "I'd hate to leave you in the lurch. Halloween tides the kids over until Christmas, since Thanksgiving is more of an adult holiday."

The old man nodded decisively. "It doesn't hurt to ask. I'll get Yugi to call for him while I go get my coat." He paused in the doorway to look at them. "…You can wait outside, if you want."

Atem opened his mouth to thank him but was cut off by a loud creak and a blast of cold, snowy air. "AGH!"

Seto had fled out the window and was standing on the underside of the roof, wrapping his coat around him in lieu of his sensitive wings to block out the cheerfully blinking Christmas lights.

Atem would have teased him, but he saw the tiniest of overwhelmed trembles run through the vampire. He knew Seto didn't like to ask for help, and he hadn't stepped foot out of Halloweentown since he'd been turned and brought to live there. He was probably completely overwhelmed and humiliated, considering it was _his_ sire that had destroyed the town.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Calling Yugi's friend was apparently as easy as throwing some peppermint sticks in the fire. He'd smell it, the smaller boy said, smiling just as brightly as his grandfather.

Seto wanted to gouge his eyes out. He stole some peppermint extract instead because it _did_ smell good and he wanted to experiment with it.

It took a while. Seto gave up his jacket when he saw Atem begin to shiver (and would lord it over him later). He paced around, casting his superior hearing out across the expanse of icy tundra, but he couldn't hear anything over the sound of the blizzard building up outside the safety of the town limits.

Then suddenly there he was, melting out of the white background, covered in a thick, blond fur coat. He stepped out of the snow and shook his head, dislodging the snow that had built up as he walked, then pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and glanced up at them. "Hey."

"Hi, Joey!" Yugi exclaimed, approaching him quickly with a pair of pants. He jumped back in surprise when another figure melted out of the snow, shaking ice from his head as well. "Oh."

"So Hirutani's not gonna be a problem anymore," the blond drawled, holding his hand out to examine his sharp nails. "We were on our way here t' tell ya. Ya need some sugar from the quarry, right? We'll go get it."

Sandy Claws frowned. "What do you mean, Hirutani's not going to be a problem?"

Joey smiled, showing all of his sharp teeth. "If I tell ya, you'll be me on the Naughty List." The way his eyes sharpened, though, told the tale; Hirutani wasn't going to be a problem because of _him._ "Sugar?"

Yugi gaped up at him, stunned, but shook it off quickly. "Actually, Joey, we might need extra. …Like, a lot more than we would seem to need."

The blond's sharp brown eyes trailed over the Halloweentown denizens before moving back to his friend. "Those guys need some, huh? What's in it for me?"

Sandy Claws looked even more distressed at that, which made sense, considering he embodied a very giving holiday. Yugi, however, seemed to understand the Hound. "If they don't have sugar, there's no Halloween."

Atem and Seto flinched when both the Hounds looked at them critically. The brunet made a low noise in the back of his throat. "Halloweentown needs help?"

"How are the werewolves?" Joey asked, bristling a little. "They okay?"

"Last we saw, yes," Atem answered, confused but hurrying to placate. "The alpha was quite pleased to have—" He glanced at Sandy Claws, then paused awkwardly. "Ah…"

"Johnson said he would make her tail wag," Seto cut in, figuring that the Hounds would understand.

Both of the Hounds bristled, but the brunet almost immediately calmed, corner of his mouth quirking up in amusement. "Man, your mom's scary."

The blond sniffed. "My ma is an alpha." He soothed his hackles down. "How much sugar we talkin' about?"

Atem looked up at his cousin and frowned. "How much do we—"

"Since we are not making popcorn balls, and we have no cocoa—how much may I ask for?" Seto asked.

The brunet snorted. "_You_ make the candy?"

"_I_ make the candy," the vampire confirmed, glaring at him. "I also bake. The emperor tasted some cakes I prepared and cried tears of joy. It was uncomfortable."

The blond Hound let out a surprised bark of laughter. "I bet." He looked down at his claws thoughtfully, then shrugged. "I'll bring ya what I can. Ya said ya have no cocoa though? I thought Halloweentown was only second t' Valentine Town when it came to cocoa production." When the two ghouls awkwardly looked away, he pursed his lips. "One o' those things, huh?"

"…Cupid owes you," the brunet Hound said slowly.

Joey paused, then tilted his head. "He does."

"…And Tom Turkey owes you."

"Yeah."

"…Easter Bunny owes you, too."

"Why do all of these people owe you?" Sandy Claws asked suspiciously.

Joey just smiled at him before turning sharply toward the brunet. "Send Mai t' Cupid. Even if he tries t' put up a fuss, she's vicious."

"He's wronged her too, so that's perfect."

"Send Bakura after Tom, too, 'cause that guy even scares _me,_" he ordered, moving back into the blizzard. "And Duke can finagle anything outta the Easter Bunny—"

Their voices faded as they disappeared into the snow.

"…Wait, does that mean they're helping us then?" Atem asked in surprise.

"Joey has a soft spot for Halloweentown," Yugi answered, shrugging, and began ushering them back to the house to wait inside. "He's only half Hound and grew up hearing all about Halloween from his mother until she left. Sometimes I think he'd be happier there, being half werewolf."

The Pumpkin King hummed in sudden understanding. "Oh, so that's why the alpha knew how to get here."

Seto grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it down his wrappings with rage.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey returned the next day, strapped to a large sledge with a leather harness. He was in a canine form, though, a beast so large that Seto didn't even need to look down to meet his eyes. His sheer size would probably have been shocking enough on its own, but on the sledge was a large boulder of sugar—at least two and a half tons, if not more.

Seto may have squeaked a little. It was a lot of sugar.

The vampire and mummy were further impressed when the blond trudged past him, straining a little in the snow instead of on the ice of the tundra but soldiering on. When he reached the hill on which the door that would lead them back to the Hinterlands resided, he paused, not in movement but in thought. He circled the hill carefully, the sledge's runners digging deep tracks in the snow and packing it down.

The elves figured out the problem and quickly set about strapping the boulder firmly to the sledge so that it wouldn't roll off as the blond climbed the hill. Once it was stationed firmly on the sledge, the blond canine turned and began struggling up the considerable slope.

"I feel like we should help him," Atem finally said, frowning.

"You will most likely end up dragged behind that sled when your wrappings get tangled in the runners," the brunet replied.

The mummy glared up at him. "Well, _you_ could help him."

"Just how strong do you believe I am?!" Seto exclaimed, spinning to shoot him a confused glare. "I have considerable strength, but I have no traction on snow, and as a bat, my strength diminishes significantly!"

"…Does he always talk like that?" Yugi asked the mummy quietly.

Atem shrugged. "He lived during a time when they spoke very… intelligently, for lack of a better term. Pompously, or respectfully, clearly, perhaps would work as well. They were very proud of their superior language back then."

"You were not even _alive_ when I was born," the vampire pointed out, glaring at him. "I am centuries old!"

Yugi looked up at him, eyes bright with curiosity. "How old _are_ you?"

Seto blinked at him in surprise before finally answering, "…Old."

"He has the number written down somewhere in his room because he had difficulty keeping track after his second century," Atem added, smirking.

Seto thought about throwing him face-first into the snow, but the blond was approaching the top of the hill. "I will assist Joey through the door and do my best to begin preparations. Unfortunately, most of the citizens of Halloweentown are still wary of coming out of their homes, but I will at least start the work."

"I'll try and coax people out as soon as I get back," the mummy answered, nodding. "I'll stay here to keep out of your way while you get everything set up."

"Hurry back. I will concentrate on the confections and you can work on the treat bags. Mokuba—" Seto paused. "…Ryou can probably handle decorations," he amended, because they'd found the tarantulas.

All of them. By walking into a large web. _They'd doubled in size._

At least Ryou had been pleased.

Seto was only a little surprised to see the blond had slowed nearly to a stop on the barren ground of the Hinterlands. "I can acquire a cart."

Joey turned to give him the side-eye, then glanced at the roots covering the ground. The runners on the sledge would probably be better than the wooden cart Seto had been thinking about. He wasn't even sure that the cart could hold a load that heavy.

"Would you like me to… push?" the brunet asked after a moment.

"Please don't," a voice called out, and the vampire turned in surprise to see the alpha werewolf approaching, her daughter bouncing beside her. Behind them were a few other werewolves following at a more sedate pace.

The alpha shed her clothes unashamedly and quickly shifted into her wolf form, growing even larger than the blond Hound and rushing to tap noses with him. Seto felt a dull pang at the sight of their reunion, but it was so small he didn't even bother to acknowledge it. He'd forgotten his parents' faces long ago and could only hope Gozaburo's face would fade quickly. Mokuba and Atem were the only family he had now and all he wanted.

Seto watched all of the werewolves gather around the blond or the sledge and help him pull or push the boulder of sugar through the thick roots until the runners slid from the wood and onto the slippery detritus of leaves that constantly rotted on the ground. Once there, the blond Hound dug into the dirt and began shouldering most of the weight again until the runners on the sledge scraped against the cobblestones of the Town Square.

Like a well-oiled machine, the werewolves spread out a surprisingly clean sheet on the ground beside the sledge. They procured hammers and wedges from seemingly nowhere and went to work breaking the large boulder down, tossing the smaller and more manageable pieces of rock sugar onto the sheet. As they worked on that, more werewolves arrived, carrying a strange-looking machine that looked partly like a sausage grinder and partly like a flour sifter.

Once the contraption was set up, Seto watched with interest as the werewolves began cranking the handle of it. The smaller rocks of sugar were lifted into the grinder part and, with a loud, jarring crunching, were broken down into even smaller pieces. Those pieces fell from the grinder into the sifter, where it was broken down into the granules Seto would need to make the treats. It seemed that the older, more experienced werewolves were the ones tasked with breaking down the boulder and the younger ones were left to crank the machine.

After watching the young werewolves switch off for the third time, Seto stripped off his jacket and shouldered them out of the way, taking up the job himself. He needed the sugar quickly, and he had centuries of hard work behind him. He could probably crank for days before he fatigued, and he needed the sugar as soon as possible.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Wow," Atem murmured, eyes wide, as he stepped into the factory that his cousin had only a few days ago shut down. It was up and running again, though, for an entirely different reason than chains and barbed wire.

Apparently _everyone_ owed Joey something. They'd gotten bags of cocoa and some cocoa trees to replace the ones Halloweentown had lost from Cupid. Tom Turkey had sent pounds upon pounds of flour and corn. The Easter Bunny had given them dozens of eggs and quarts of honey.

Seto had set up an _assembly line_ for candy. Mokuba was walking up and down the hard candy line, inspecting and trying different ones for quality control and helping the people whose candy was not yet up to par. Ryou was working the taffy line with all the skill of an expert spider-silk weaver, leaving the others working with him staring in awe even as they worked their own ribbons of gooey taffy. The werewolves were working popcorn balls so quickly that there would probably be excess for the town to enjoy (which made sense, because werewolves had always made the best popcorn balls).

Seto, however, was over at a table working a ball of dough between his hands, the mixture tinted orange from pumpkin. As Atem watched, the brunet slid the mound of dough in front of the blond Hound and made him knead it for a few minutes to make sure it was to his satisfaction before he turned and grabbed another lump of dough to work.

He approached cautiously. Seto was a tricky creature to converse with even when he was too busy working to worry about being mean. "You usually do the baking by yourself."

"Joey dropped a large piece of rock on his foot and broke it. He is too injured to stand in one of the lines," Seto replied swiftly.

Atem looked toward the blond for confirmation only to find him keeping an eye on his dough with the intenseness of a thousand suns. "…I see."

"Also he is a horrendous cook and I fear he might inadvertently set himself on fire."

The mummy blinked. "Even on the popcorn balls?"

"Ma won't lemme 'cause I can't control my kernels and I usually eat more than I make," Joey mumbled, brows furrowing together as he used a rolling pin to spread the dough out. He motioned at the dough to make sure he'd rolled it enough, then grabbed one of the pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters and began stamping out cookies with probably a little more force than necessary.

"…How long have you been working," Atem asked slowly, narrowing his eyes.

Seto handed the blond a cookie sheet. "Sixty-three hou—uh." He flinched. "Minutes. I have been working for sixty-three minutes."

"You are a liar and you _know_ that you need to sleep at some point!" His cousin looked him over quickly. "You're going to fall asleep standing up again."

The vampire looked at him in disgruntlement. "I have been taking care of myself for three hundred and fifty-seven years."

"If I remember correctly, that's only because Mokuba usually pesters you into your coffin."

Joey looked up from his cookie sheets. "You actually sleep in a coffin?"

Seto snarled, cheeks tinting pink. "I DO NOT SLEEP IN A COFFIN."

The blond almost looked disappointed. "Oh." He turned back to carefully putting his dough on the cookie sheets.

"…Do you want me to sleep in a coffin?" the vampire asked, brows furrowing together.

"Well it's not scary if ya go to sleep on a waterbed," the Hound drawled, shrugging.

Seto looked lost for words. "…It's a king-size comfort-foam mattress."

Joey looked up at him in appalled disbelief. "You sleep on a comfort-foam mattress?!"

"My body is over three and a half centuries old!" the vampire snapped. "Pardon me for not coveting the thought of having to be rolled out of bed because I am too stiff and sore to struggle out of it myself!"

"Ya look pretty spry for a guy with a foot in two different graves," the blond mumbled, scowling.

Atem raised his eyebrows as he watched his cousin's fingers clench in the dough. He normally only refrained from hurting people he li—

"_Oh._"

Seto turned toward him in alarm. "Oh?"

The mummy smiled coyly. "Yes, _oh._"

"_No._"

"Congratulations."

"_NO!_" the vampire roared, then turned and buried his head in his arms.

Joey stared at him. "What."

"You look like you could use a drink!" Atem said cheerfully, ignoring his question. "Hard slime? Crabapple cider, perhaps?"

The blond eyed him skeptically. "…Curdled milk, if ya have it."

The mummy was somewhat impressed by the way the werewolf and Hound blood played off each other. Milk was more of a Christmas drink, but he couldn't imagine Sandy Claws or the elves drinking it curdled. He wasn't as large as the werewolves when they transformed, but he wasn't as small as the Hounds. He didn't crowd together like the werewolves did, always touching each other, but he was always near the pack that he'd taken as his after a bloody fight for dominance with Hirutani. He wasn't mean, but he wasn't exactly _nice_ either.

It figured that Seto would become attracted to such a walking contradiction. He always seemed to make things hard on himself.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Would you like a roasted rat, Joey?" Mokuba asked politely.

The blond eyed him suspiciously. "Nah."

"Joey, you have to eat something," his mother scolded, reaching out to place a roasted rat on his plate. "You're being rude!"

"Maaaaaa," Joey moaned, sagging in his seat. "You're embarrassin' meeeeeeee!"

"You are old enough to know how to act and Mokuba is your elder so—"

"He looks like he's twelve!"

Atem frowned thoughtfully around his mouthful of beetles. "Well, he was around twelve when he was turned, from what Seto says."

The younger vampire scowled. "I'm one-hundred and ninety-eight."

Seto reached over and swatted him lightly on the arm. "Adults eat more slime."

"Slime is gross!" the boy exclaimed.

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes to the dusty ceiling of the mansion. "You are very mature, Mokuba."

"Have some slime," the alpha werewolf ordered, slopping some onto the younger vampire's plate.

"But—" Mokuba began, complaints on the tip of his tongue.

"_**Eat,**_" the older woman ordered, eyes flashing dangerously.

Seto watched as Joey, Atem, and Mokuba began wolfing down their food in terror and looked down at his own roasted rat. He pushed it around his plate awkwardly before instead grabbing his goblet of blood and draining it in several long gulps. He was truly getting old; solid food didn't appeal to him anymore.

He began to stand. "I should return to work." The blond's mother shot him a dirty look. He returned to his seat.

She clasped her hands and cleared her throat. "Joey has said that he's willing to bring you a shipment of sugar each year until we can get our own sugar production back up. Our sugarcane went up in smoke fairly quickly, so perhaps we should try sugar beets instead. The trip is too long and our equipment too old to do this every year, and Santa doesn't have enough time to make us a new one."

"I could construct a new one," Seto answered, looking offended that they thought he couldn't.

The alpha pursed her lips. "Joey would still have to bring the rocks here."

"Oh. Yes, I suppose that is correct."

Joey peeked up from his food, frowning. "I can make the trip every year, Ma. It'll give me an excuse t' see you and Serenity more often."

Seto felt the pang of missed family this time when he saw the proud alpha's face melt. It was clear that she loved her son, even if she'd had to leave him behind. He'd been in Christmas Town too long to be Halloweentown bad, even though he'd probably never be completely good or nice like the elves or Sandy Claws and his family.

He wondered if his parents had missed him.

"Be that as it may," the alpha werewolf said, clearing her throat to dislodge the lump that had formed there. "We shouldn't depend on you for the _entirety_ of our sugar. We need to be independent. Unless you want us to pay you, Joey, but I can't imagine we have anything you want."

"Ya can pay me in pumpkin baked goods 'cause that stuff was like eatin' orgasms," Joey offered hopefully, sitting up a little straighter.

Seto blushed a little and glanced down at his plate. "Um."

"_Joseph Martin Wheeler,_" his mother hissed, glaring at him sharply. "That is not a word we use at the supper table."

"Ugh, Ma, I've been living with Dad, what the fuck did you expect from me?" the blond snapped, glaring at her.

"…I am going to depart now," Seto told his cousin and brother quietly, then quickly dashed from the table.

Atem and Mokuba weren't fast enough, and the alpha werewolf turned her attention back to them before they could flee after him.

Seto woke up tied to his bed with a tarantula on his chest because of it. Mokuba may have hated tarantulas, but he hated eating slime more.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto stared at the door to the werewolves' house, frowning. It figured that they'd have a wolf's head for their knocker. He looked down at the pumpkin pie he was holding, then turned and began to walk away. "No, no, no, this is not happening. I refuse."

"Who are ya talkin' to?"

Seto jumped and turned around. "Uh. Good evening."

Joey glanced around awkwardly before looking back at him. "Yeah. Um, didja need somethin'? You were standin' out here for a while."

"…Here," the vampire muttered, shoving the pie into his hands. He nearly fled after that; it had been decades since he'd tried to woo someone, but shoving food at someone didn't seem to be right, from what he recalled.

The blond's face brightened. "Oh! Thanks! Is this 'cause of what I said yesterday? Because I don't wantcha t' think I'd expect payment." He used his claws to cut a decent-sized piece and pulled it out of the tin, lifting it up and taking a hefty bite. He moaned loudly. "Oh my stockings. You make such great food."

Seto let out a quiet, frantic squeak and fled. He hadn't gotten so hard so quickly since he was newly-turned and couldn't control all of his urges.

"Uh… thanks?" Joey called after him, confused, then shrugged and turned to limp back into the house.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Ya know ya really don't hafta do this," Joey mumbled around a chocolate-chip pumpkin cookie.

Seto sighed loudly and with feeling. "On the contrary, I certainly must."

The blond give him a weird look. "Snowflakes. It's like talkin' t' an old book."

The vampire frowned in concern. "Do you find my way of speech unfavorable?"

"…That's _adorable,_" Joey cooed, reaching up to pat his cheek. "_You're_ adorable."

"…Do you find that… agreeable?" Seto reached up to touch his cheek, skin still tingling at the blond's warmth.

"Huh?" The Hound blinked at him before his face melted into an expression of slow understanding. "_Oh._"

Seto scowled. "Why do people do that when I find someone attractive?"

"Oh pumpkins." The blond looked delighted. "I haven't seen someone as smitten as you since Tristan and Duke noticed Serenity wasn't a pup anymore!"

"I cannot tell if you are mocking me. This appears to be mocking," the vampire spat, glaring at him.

Joey cupped his cheeks and drew him down to tap noses with him. "Hon', I'm goin' back t' Christmas Town after my foot heals. Why wouldja wanna start a long-distance relationship?"

"I recall that you expressed a desire to visit Halloweentown more frequently." Seto raised his eyebrows as the blond moved his face closer and rubbed their noses together. "Perhaps… perhaps you might also call on me, when you do."

The Hound nipped the corner of the vampire's mouth, then leaned back, smiling with eyes half-lidded. "Maybe I will. You could always come visit me, too. There's a house on Candy Cane Lane that doesn't have any twinklin' lights on it. That's the one Yug' lets us stay in when the blizzards get so bad we might not survive." He winked playfully. "No one 'll care if I they hear a few screams from my room."

Seto frowned in concern. "Why would you scream?"

"Oh my _pumpkins_," Joey groaned, rolling his eyes. "I gotta be totally gone on ya if I think your obliviousness is attractive. Because we'll be havin' _sex,_ you dummy."

The vampire paused before carefully placing his hands on the blond's hips. "…I had carnal relations with a banshee once. She screamed and made me lose consciousness. You cannot do that, correct?"

Falling to the ground because he was laughing so hard wasn't exactly the response Seto wanted, but he'd take it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey paused when he saw Seto sitting at the edge of the oily fountain in the town square, then frowned, changing course so he limped over to him instead of toward his mother's house. "Hey."

"Good evening." The brunet looked away from the moon, which was always full in Halloweentown, to watch the Hound sit next to him. "I assumed you would be partaking in Halloween with the others."

"Nah. Nothin's scary about a wolf with a limp," the blond replied, shrugging, and motioned at his foot that was still wrapped tightly. "'sides, Ma mentioned that ya don't usually go scarin' on Halloween and spend it all alone."

Seto sighed and rolled his eyes. "I am not… _adept_ at scaring children. They have very different opinions of what is 'scary' than I do." He paused, then added, "Also, last year Mokuba was mauled by teenage girls. Apparently vampires are the newest fad. Vampires that sparkle, if I remember correctly?" He frowned. "Atem had to rescue him. It was a very strange year."

"Ah." The younger man hummed thoughtfully and turned to face him, so their knees were touching. "Well, glad I don't hafta see your little brother gettin' mauled."

"I am told it was terribly amusing once they got beyond the squabbling." The brunet smiled a little as the Hound gently cupped his cheeks in his hands, even though he knew those hands had probably ripped out someone else's throat.

"I'm sure it was." Joey leaned in to rub noses with him, smiling. "You deserve the rest anyway. I know some days ya didn't sleep, even though ya told Atem and Mokuba that ya did." He leaned in and nipped the corner of the brunet's mouth.

"Your sister conveyed to me that rubbing noses is a very intimate gesture among werewolves," Seto murmured. "She informed me that I should be flattered you did not request a token."

"I don't need anyone t' hunt for me. I saw ya crankin' that sugar pulverizer for hours, after any of the werewolves woulda needed a rest. I kinda wanted t' lick your abs."

The vampire snorted in disbelief. "That is absolutely disgusting."

"You guys eat slime," Joey retorted firmly, swinging one leg over the brunet's hips so that he straddled his legs. "That's disgustin'."

Seto tilted his head back to look up at him, lips quirking up into another tiny smile. "I prefer blood and candy to slime." He placed a hand on the blond's hip and gave it a small squeeze. "But you must believe I am attractive. Serenity also informed me that biting the corner of my mouth was _quite_ suggestive."

"Your ridiculously muscular arms are suggestive." Joey leaned down to nuzzle the side of his face, sighing quietly. "Ya smell like fresh grave dirt."

"…Is that distasteful?" Despite that small worry, he tilted his head to the side to let him nip his pointed ear. "Well, you do not appear to dislike it."

"Mm, ya know how much dirt we get in Christmas Town? It's all snow. Dirt smells _great._" The blond leaned back, eyelids heavy as he licked his lower lip. "Ma says that you're really traditional, and you were givin' me food t' show intent. Throw me a bone. What were ya intendin'?"

Seto glanced away for a moment, then looked back up at him, lips curling into a smug smirk. "Maybe I was only planning on causing your blood sugar to rise. I _do_ enjoy sweet things, you know, and your blood is no different."

Joey blinked at him in surprise, then grinned—quite a vicious expression on him. "Oh really?" He rolled his hips forward, making the brunet gasp quietly and dig his sharp nails into his hips. "So ya don't wanna mount me?"

The vampire let out a long guttural groan, eyes flashing threateningly. "That is a very tactless way to articulate it." His hips shifted as the blond pressed harder against him, fangs aching to sink into the long chord of muscle at his throat. "If I was allowed to—"

"We could see if your stupid fancy bed is any good for somethin' more active than sleepin'," Joey suggested, grinning. "It's okay if ya can't keep up with me, though. You're over three centuries old. Ya probably couldn't do more than one ro—"

Seto groaned again, tangling his fingers in the blond's thick hair and tugging him into a kiss with more fang than lips, but with the way the Hound fervently kissed back, he didn't mind a little blood.

"Well, it's nice to see you two getting along. And getting it on, apparently."

Seto jerked back, eyes wide, and let out a small, embarrassing 'eep' as he fell backward into the oily black-green water of the fountain. He flailed his arms upward to catch the blond before he could tumble in after him, holding him above the slimy liquid.

Joey flushed brightly. "_Ma._"

His mother chuckled and carefully pulled the blond onto his feet, then reached into the water to clench the vampire's shirt and drag him back into a sitting position. "I'm allowed to be happy that my son has finally found someone he deems an equal enough to think about mating with him."

Seto hacked up some brackish water, then paused, blinking up at her. "Mate?"

"_**Maaaaa!**_" the blond wailed, blush traveling down his neck. "You're embarrassin' meeeee!"

"I get to embarrass you. I'm your mother and labor for you lasted thirty-six hours," the older woman stated, placing her hands on her hips.

Joey groaned loudly and covered his face. "_MOM._"

She huffed. "In the cold snow of the tundra while your father got drunk on fermented fruitcake!"

"Can we forget about the day I was born just once?!" the blond wailed. "Ma, this guy thinks I'm attractive and he's not gonna try t' make me submit and you're gonna scare him off talkin' about how painful I was t' give birth to!"

Seto blinked. "Um."

"Don't be silly. Seto's the Mayor for a reason; he doesn't get squeamish!" The alpha werewolf clapped him on the shoulder. He fought very hard not to flinch. "Isn't that right, Mayor?"

"I still do not understand how I was elected Mayor when I was not even a contender," the vampire replied, frowning.

She waved her hand flippantly. "Write-in votes. A majority of the townspeople decided you were the least likely to fuck things up. The vote was between your step-father and his henchmen, you know."

Seto didn't know whether to be offended or flattered. On one hand, yes, he was much better than his step-father and his henchmen. On the other, they were just looking for someone the least likely to screw up Halloween. That wasn't exactly what he wanted people to think of him.

She seemed to sense his irritation and added, "We couldn't have chosen a better mayor. We had a week to prepare Halloween from scratch, and you went out searching for the tarantulas to make webbing decorations before the maggots had finished off Gozaburo's body. You even went to Christmas Town to ask for help even though everyone knows that you don't like bright lights and flashy colors.

"There is _no one_ that loves Halloween more than you, Mayor," she added earnestly. "And every year the human children go home giggling because it's been the best Halloween yet. You're the perfect example of what Halloween should be like for everyone else. You take pride in your work, and you make everyone else proud of theirs, even if it seems insignificant to anyone else."

"No one's effort is insignificant," Seto replied indignantly.

She frowned. "Really, that's all you got out of that?"

"…Man, if you were a werewolf," Joey sighed, blushing a little at the thought.

His mother cooed. "Oh, hon', if he was a werewolf, you'd have to fight me for him."

The blond glared at her sharply and snarled. "Ma!"

"The fact of the matter is that I am a vampire, not a werewolf," Seto cut in quickly, before they could draw each other's blood. "So I am really only attractive to your son."

The alpha werewolf smirked at him. "Oh, you're still attractive to me—"

Joey snarled again. "I'mma bite your throat!"

She lifted her hands and laughed. "Joey, he remembers _me_ in diapers. That's off-putting enough."

Seto frowned. "I do not actually recall you—"

"Honey, _stop,_" the alpha werewolf sighed, rolling her eyes. She patted her son on the shoulder. "I'll just… leave you two alone then." She smirked coyly. "I'd say I'll see you tonight, but I probably won't, so—"

"GO AWAY!" Joey roared, fur bristling.

Seto watched the woman walk away with a certain pep in her step and frowned, then turned his attention back to the Hound. "…I should bathe."

The blond frowned thoughtfully as he took in the vampire's sopping wet clothes. "Oh. I guess ya should."

The brunet stood and looked down at his clothes, wondering if they were ruined, then glanced up at the Hound and awkwardly murmured, "…I might… require assistance."

"Oh." Joey blinked up at him for a moment. "…Because you're so ancient ya can't scrub your back, or because…" His eyes drifted down to the brunet's crotch before jerking back up to his face.

Seto hesitated before answering, "Will you persecute me if I admit that it is because of both reasons?"

Joey had a beautiful laugh. Seto thought he could get used to it, even if it was at his expense.


End file.
